Metal Gear : Birth of a Seraphim
by Mr. thinker
Summary: After the moon was shattered by an unknown force and an enemy appeared hellbent on destroying the world, the Guardians seek help from the Moon. The Moon responded and revived a lone warrior from a distant world who seems more interested on conquering the world than saving it. Will they defeat the new enemy? Let Justice be done, though the Heaven's fall!
1. The awakening of Big Boss

I do not own _Metal Gear Solid_ , as it is owned by Konami and created by Hideo Kojima, nor do I own _Rise of the Guardians_ as it is based off the work "Guardians of Childhood" written by William Joyce and brought to life by Dreamworks. I only own original characters unless otherwise noted. I am not making a single cent off this work either.

A special thanks to PhillyCh3zSt3ak for betaing this story.

Prologue

* * *

It all started from the wind brushing against the leaves of a huge tree standing on a Japanese garden in front of a large house. The house groaning as the wind pushed against its wooden walls and structure. In a room with a huge sliding door that faces the garden and the tree, there was a man who was sitting comfortably with its back to the door frame.

He was clothed in a red traditional Japanese shirt and white pants, and was holding a long smoking pipe with his right hand. He took a whiff of smoke and blew it to the air in a passive manner before he spoke. "So the stone has started to tumble…" his tone was serious as if predicting a foreboding event, "now all it needs to do is to stop, don't you agree with me, Man in the Moon?" he asked and opened his eyes, revealing his heterochromatic colors. His right eye was brown and his left eye was blue and both were thoughtful to the future event.

"Well then… shall we see the awakening of this new Guardian?" his eyes stared to the moon, a smile formed in his pale face, as the man waited pleasantly. A new Guardian was about to be born.

* * *

He began his new life within the darkness of the space where he was in. Everything around him was pitch black and empty. The place was devoid of nothing for he couldn't even felt coldness or heat.

The air that whiff passed his nose was odorless and the ground, he couldn't feel it, he didn't even know if he was standing or lying. The place was eerily quiet and disturbing and scary. Any man who set foot in this oblivion will consider the empty void as hell itself, which might be the place's true name.

 _'Hell...'_ it was only a thought yet as if he spoke it out loud, the words echoed throughout the void. He wasn't scared nor was he disturbed.

His memories then rushed from the back of his head and then he began to reminisce it. His life was worse than he thought, so dark, so corrupted and so sorrowful that he couldn't believe that this was his and that he had lived through it as a human.

He accepted it all, his dark memories. His memories were the reason why he was here, in Hell itself, and that's why he was only calm and let out a satisfying sigh.

"This was good… wasn't it?" he thought and he knew it was more than enough. He only closed his eyes and waited to be torn or to rot away in this sinister darkness.

"No, this isn't good enough," a deep embodied voice echoed and made the man opened his eyes. He wasn't startled or surprised; he was expecting more people in this void, in Hell. However, the voice was somehow familiar to him.

Before he could answer a bright light suddenly appeared in front of him. The light was white it radiated peacefully calming his eyes instead of being irritated by it.

"Come now…your new world awaits…" the voice said again before the light suddenly engulfed him before he could even speak again.

* * *

The man didn't know what happened next, he must've passed out because of the light. After a second of being engulfed by the light, he closed his eyes and the next thing that he knew was that his head softly hit something hard and then he felt cold.

He couldn't recognize it at first but then his mind gave him an answer. It was water, he felt lots of lots of water dropping and hitting his skin. He felt the coldness all throughout his body. Was he wearing clothes, he clearly wasn't for he felt the grass and the earth with the skin on his back.

Slowly, in a daze, he opened his eyes and saw thousands of rain droplets falling from the sky. The sky was black but not like the place where he was before, and it was raining.

"Rain?" he muttered confusedly. He only stared at above the rainy sky, as his mind began to work with his new surroundings. And then after a second, his eyes then caught a shadow to his right. He couldn't recognize the shadow, the rain had disrupted his vision, but it was a man.

He only stared to the man, unmoved to his presence who kneeled and looked back at him and then he heard his voice that seemed to soothe his muddled mind.

"Welcome, Guardian. Even though I already know your real name it seems that I've to call you by what your men used to call you before in order to ease confusion as to where you are or what happened. Would that be alright, Big Boss?"

Memories of events and names rushed past on his mind. 'Big Boss' was one of his aliases he used before, and he recognize it as his; however, the man's introduction didn't help him relax his mind, it actually puzzled him more.

Questions ran back and forth and made him groan. Pain had hit his head suddenly, muscles on his body swell and it added, agonizingly.

"Now let's put you in bed, Big Boss." The man said, in a calm manner. The man who remembered his name, Big Boss, didn't reply but only stare weakly before he eventually closed his eyes.

"For tomorrow a new war will begin." The man muttered, a smile formed in his face.

* * *

It must've been a couple of hours later that Big Boss slowly opened his blue eyes and looked through the wooden ceiling of his room. Pain had already subsided in his body; he can freely move now.

'Where am I?' he asked himself as his blue eyes scanned his room which composed of nothing except for the bed he was in, a table across from him, and a small brown fox pup sitting below him, it's brown eyes inquisitively stared at him.

Big Boss, puzzled to the presence of the fox, asked even though he wasn't expecting it to answer, "Hello little one. Where am I?" _'This is stupid. It will not answer.'_ Much to his regret he already asked the creature that doesn't have capabilities of speaking-.

"If I were to tell you you're in Hell, would that satisfy your curiosity?" the fox spoke back, his tongue sharp. Big Boss was wide eyed for a moment, startled at the fox who answered him back, but he didn't react. His gaze slowly returns to a normal one.

"So this is hell…" he merely breathed, satisfied to where he was right now. He wasn't bothered by the talking fox; it was a probably a demon in disguise… just like him.

Big Boss then notice that his vision was half, his right eye couldn't see anything except for blackness, his right hand touched the right side of his face, only to felt a warm cloth bandage wrapped around his head, covering his right eye.

 _'Am I injured?_ ' Puzzled to his state he wanted to ask the fox but he saw the little one by the door.

"Clothes are on the table, get dressed." The fox said coldly before his little paws opened the door and got out.

* * *

 _'Why am I following a fox? What the hell am I doing?'_ Big Boss ran the questions on his mind, he could've disobeyed the fox and cooped up in that room and yet something pushed him to stand, got clothes on, and followed the little fox.

He looks around the hallway and observed it the wooden walls, the lights were dim and casted his shadow on the wall. He was still looking when he stopped suddenly as the fox in front of him faced large dual doors.

The door then slowly opened and the two entered silently.

* * *

Big Boss stared around the room, it was a dining hall with a large long table in front of him, wide bay windows on his right that welcomed the moon's light the bathe the room, from the outside. His eyes observed the window before he landed it on the other end of the table where a man was sitting.

The man was clad in a red shirt and white pants; his eyes were different colors, his right eye is brown while his left is blue, and he was staring at Big Boss with a placid smile.

"Good evening. I'm glad you're awake," The man said, his tone was light and almost welcoming. "Come and sit down, you must be confused as to where you are right now."

Big Boss left eye squinted at him, the man's tone wasn't welcoming to him. He was confused as to what he had said, but he only silently sat down and faced the man.

"I know where I am, I'm in Hell am I right?" he regained his strength to ask. The man, to him, wasn't a friendly one; he sensed something strange on him and he didn't like it.

He smiled as he fixed his glasses over his eyes and said, "This isn't Hell, you've been resurrected. My name is Kimihiro Watanuki and in case if you're still wondering, you're inside my shop, John," the man named Watanuki said. He explained but it wasn't well received, Big Boss was wide eyed; this time he was in complete disbelief.

 _'Resurrected…? Me? But why-?'_ he rummaged hardly. That wouldn't be impossible. He remembered that he'd died at that place, the cemetery, right beside that person who was dear to him. He'd remembered it strongly. And the man? His tone was truthful, John couldn't detect any lies, and he knew his real name which he didn't give to anyone freely. Who was this man who knew his real name?

And then an idea loomed on him and it was the only possible identity of the man.

"Watanuki… Kimihiro?" he was right from the beginning, the man has a funny name and Big Boss, as far as he could remember, didn't trust anyone who had a funny name.

"Yes John?"

"How did you know my real name?" Big Boss started, eyes vigilant as he stood up and walked slowly towards him.

"It's simple. You're not very hard to read, John's your real name; but Jack sounds good. No, how about Ishmael? Or better yet the classic…" Watanuki stood up from his seat, a smile drawn on his pale face, his eyes boring into Big Boss', "…Naked Snake"

Big Boss didn't wait for him to move. He quickly attacked and grabbed his left arm with his right hand and spun and twisted him on his back, as he locked his left hand around his neck his white shirt rustled as he tightened his left arm around his neck, earning him some grunts coming from the man.

"Who do you work for? You resurrected me through what? Cloning?" Big Boss scowled to his right ear, threatening Watanuki, the man must be working for them… Cipher, or any other group who bears a grudge against him, "It's Cipher isn't it? The Patriots? Who?!" Big Boss shouted, anger rising in his chest as he inflicted pain on the man, but to his surprise the man let out a chuckle.

"Cipher? Patriots? Please, those thing no longer exist. You're in a new world, John and you've been resurrected magically." More riddles, the man was whimsical and fickle, he didn't like it when he was like a toy being played with.

"I will kill you if you don't speak." Big Boss boomed in.

"Do you want to see for yourself, John?" Big Boss gritted his teeth; he didn't want to be called by his real name by strangers, especially those who were fickle and annoying. He wanted to kill the strange man, but he wanted to know more.

"I'm letting you go John, I'm letting you see for yourself, the world where you truly live in now." Big Boss shot an inquisitive look, the man was an enemy and he's letting him go, this puzzled him. "I assure there's no trap along the way," his voice was so sincere and filled with honesty, yet also secretive. As much as he hated it, Big Boss let him go and moved back, but his eyes were locked on Watanuki still, expecting counterattack from him.

Watanuki smiled at him and cleared his throat, "David, would you kindly show Big Boss around the city?" the little fox from earlier appeared on the table and approached Big Boss. The fox was calm and seemed to be careless with the man.

"Follow me will you, Big Boss?" the fox asked as the Big Boss hardened his eyes at the fox. 'So its name is David. Sounds familiar…' Nostalgic to the name of the fox, he walked away from Watanuki who lightly waved his left hand and with a smile he said, "Have a nice trip…"

* * *

Big Boss was stunned and couldn't move from where he was standing. Tall buildings surrounded him like spire cages and each of them were glittering in beautiful peaceful lights and colors, his ears were filled with the sounds of everyday activities, people chatting and walking around, cars honking irritably to the building traffic jam and Christmas music coming from the buildings which told him that today, or this month, was Christmas time.

Big Boss observed in awe in a middle of a four-way busy intersection, people whiz passed in front of him and he could just only stare in silent bewilderment.

 _'What is this place… where am I? Is this Japan?'_ Confusion to the unknown, he concluded he was in Japan after he saw some words written in Japanese language in one of the buildings.

Big Boss was appalled. "W-what year is it?!" he asked to the little fox named David who looked up to him and said. "2016, and three days after new year."

Big Boss died in the year 2014 and now he was standing here in the middle of an intersection in the middle of, probably, Tokyo. He only rested for two years. However, he also noticed something else.

The whole place, the whole city, it was too joyful and peaceful and it was as if there hasn't been any war that had happened…unlike his world that he had left. And then he finally noticed something else different. Even though the city was showing its technology, he hadn't seen, not even a familiar robotic structure, any Metal Gear.

"M-Metal Gear… do any of those things exist?" Big Boss rapidly asked.

David again looked up and said, "Metal Gear no longer exist in this world, same for the Philosophers, the Patriots, your…" he paused as he saw Big Boss eyes widening in alarm, "Outer Heaven, and your beloved mentor: 'The Boss'."

He wished that he hadn't asked that, it's all too late. He didn't saw any lies or deceit in the Fox's eyes, David was telling the truth. Horror hit him hard as the reality dawned on him. Big Boss was indeed in another world, not in hell, and certainly not in heaven.

Terrified and grief stricken his senses backed out as he kneeled to the cold ground. But then his left eye suddenly caught a figure of a car coming towards him. He tried to move but the car hurled towards him at great speeds and then it ran passed through him.

 _'It passed through… I passed through…'_ All throughout his life, he had never experienced much fear and confusion but tonight it begins to hit him hard and it felt very new to him. "I…I…"

"Yes, you'd just passed through, are you a ghost…?" Big Boss slowly turns to David who was staring at him as a lot of pedestrians were passing through him, if he had a human mouth he would be smiling at him, "let me answer that. No you're not, you're something greater."

The fox's words didn't help Big Boss, panic was storming through his mind, his heart beat rose as he was frightened as to what had become of him. He became something worse and he knew it, he could no longer contain the fear that filled his chest. He released it and screamed. And since he passed through a car, he was certainly couldn't be seen by anyone.

* * *

The journey back to Watanuki was vague for Big Boss, he was still locked in a state of shock, eyes down to the floor. The fox stepped on the foyer of the entrance of Watanuki's shop and watched Big Boss dragging himself.

David didn't even care a bit, he walked slowly towards the hallway as Big Boss slowly followed him.

The man didn't even know what to do anymore, he could run away and hide in a building until he rotted away and yet he didn't know why he ended up here, but now he doesn't care anymore, he didn't know if he still has enemies left who could've done something like this.

Big Boss entered into the long dining room from before and saw that the table was filled all sorts of food that looked very appetizing, but to him he felt nothing.

"Done with the tour? I prepared you a feast. You must be terribly hungry." Watanuki said in a pleasingly, he watched from the other end of the table, Big Boss sat down on the same chair before, stared down at his plate, and after a minute he took his first bite on the food before he eventually began eating.

Big Boss was lost in his thoughts, he was indeed hungry and his hunger had dissipated his earlier turmoil. The food was good and he didn't care if it's poisoned. He didn't care if he'll be killed tonight, after his ordeal he wanted to die again.

 _'This must be dream…'_ He denied his current adversity as he gulped down the food, 'It must be… it must be…'Big Boss continued in desperation however it was all clear to him. This wasn't a dream.

* * *

Big Boss sighed, he was finished eating all the food, and he felt relieved. The horror experienced a while ago was now nothing but a mere memory from long ago. He looked up with a straight face, still he wasn't happy about what happened to him.

"Now that you've calmed down you must have a lot of questions," Watanuki said with a smile, this made Big Boss frown. Watanuki's annoying, but John's dangerous to him.

"Yes, I have a lot," He said. He has a lot of questions in his mind and he wanted the answers to them immediately.

"What's this place… this world? Who are you and who 'resurrected' me? What had happened to me?" Watanuki chuckled earning a dark glare from Big Boss, to the mystery man he was like a child, full questions, curiosity and wonders.

"Well then, this… is my Wish Shop. I grant wishes here, and I am the Guardian of Wishes and Dimensions," Watanuki said proudly but Big Boss face didn't move, in fact he was not amused. He looked like a con man to John, not a bloody shop attendant.

"And?" he merely asked again, disinterested.

"And this world? It is your new home. It isn't an alternate world; your old world simply ceased to exist and was replaced by this." His answer made Big Boss feel uneasy again, his answer sounded plausible which made him shift in his seat.

"Who did it?" his eyes questioningly looked at Watanuki's, whose smile widened.

"By the same being who resurrected you…" he fixed his glasses before he moved away, "Come, I'll show you to him." Big Boss turned to him; eyes sharpened in vigilance and merely followed him.

* * *

He went inside of a room that Watanuki showed to him, it seemed to be just a normal Japanese room with a small table in the middle and a wide window which leads to an outside Japanese Garden. A mirror stood by the wall to his left made him turn around and look at it.

He saw the bandage on his right side of his face, he touched it, curious to know of what had become of his right eye.

"Do you want to see your right eye?" Watanuki suddenly asked, seeing curiosity again. The man nodded as he rips off the bandage and see his right eye for a long time.

"What the fuck is this?" Big Boss was rattled, his eyes were both blue before but now, his right eye was still blue but the white part that made him a human, was nothing but all black. Aghast to his abominable right eye, he turned to Watanuki.

"It was him who did that to you… for he turned you into a Guardian." Guardian that was the first time that he had heard the word Guardian in this world, and it sounds ridiculous to him.

 _'No…'_ "He turned me into a monster…" Big Boss countered, both of his hands formed a tight fist that made his knuckles turned white. Instead of terror, anger begin to envelop him, for now he wanted to kill whoever resurrected him.

"Where is he?" he glared at Watanuki, blue eyes glowing.

Watanuki walked towards the window and onto the garden, and said. "Come he's right over there…"

Big Boss saw Watanuki pointed upwards, towards the starry night sky. He slowly walked past the window, stepped onto the garden, and looked up as he bore his ever glowing blue eyes at the huge full moon.

His old self would've found this ridiculous, but he's no longer what he was before.

"He's the Man in the Moon, and he's God. He had turned you into a Guardian…" Watanuki explained as Big Boss asked again and this time his tone was grave and dangerous.

"What is a… Guardian?"

"The one who protects this world. One who gives hope, wonder, and light to everyone especially children. In short they're like… angels," Watanuki answered truthfully and this made Big Boss smile. And it wasn't a friendly one.

"So Guardian, hmm…?" he stared at the moon with ire. Fury was screaming in his eyes that began to glow brighter than normal. The Guardian of Wishes and Dimensions saw his reaction and smirked. His left hand went inside the deepest pocket of the red kimono that he was wearing and took out a large wooden box.

He opened it and reveal its contents to Big Boss who glanced it with plain, raging eyes. It was a pair of silver plated guns, its shiny metal shone brightly at Big Boss.

"The Man in the Moon made this for you as a token of gratitude that you've accepted your fate as a Guardian." Big Boss frown grew as more hatred began to fuel him. He had never accepted this 'Guardianship'. He was supposed to be dead and in hell, resting in peace, and now he was here, resurrected, and to fight for whomever the being who was, probably, controlling everything even without appearing to the people.

He hated it, being controlled, being manipulated by the unknown, this Man in the Moon wasn't any different than those back from his world. Controlling people, especially soldiers, like they were nothing but puppets.

"Man in the Moon…" he gritted his teeth, as his eyes glowed blue brightly and his body began to emit bluish aura. Watanuki bowed his head and stepped back, away from the raging man.

 _'Big mistake, Man in Moon… big mistake…!'_ His temper rising as his hands tightened around the trigger of the silver gun around his hands, Big Boss was outraged as to what the Man in the Moon did to him, he had turned him into a Guardian, forcibly and unwillingly.

No matter how good the meaning of it, a Guardian was the same as a soldier; a controlled soldier, stripped of dignity and freedom, and nothing but expandable.

"Man in Moon, I am not your pawn!" His anger burst forth and covered his whole body in a strong blue aura. Watanuki watched from behind and caught something with his eye.

He saw that the Boss's shadow that was dancing on the ground. As the man was enveloped in blue flames, and saw something that made his eyes widen. Big Boss's shadow was forming into something sinister, his silhouette was still there but this time he saw something protruding in his back and it was large and long and there are six pairs of them. And all of them appeared to be like wings.

 _'Oh, interesting…'_ he blew a short snort of air out of his nose and observed the violent Big Boss.

Big Boss then formed an idea in his head, since the Man in the Moon turned him into this he will, at least turn him, into something sinister. Slowly he raised his right gun towards the air and pointed to the moon.

"Man in Moon…" he uttered with resentment, "fuck you." and then he pulled the trigger of his gun. The gun was then bathed by his aura, and produced a single circle on the tip, that Big Boss didn't bother knowing what it was, before it released a powerful blast of blue beam. The blue beam travelled towards the sky and then it eventually hit the moon.

Big Boss watch antagonistically, the moon exploded and tiny bits of it began to fall back to earth. He didn't care if it will hit a major city, he would never care for anything anymore. In fact, he had liked to destroy this world. The power that he felt, which he possessed, was enough to destroy a world, that's what he thought, and it was true.

 _'Man in Moon, now do you regret waking me up?'_ Big Boss thought with enmity, he had showed him, the Man in the Moon, that he would never be a Guardian, but an unbeatable foe. He had shown him what he was capable of and that he wasn't a normal human but a devil who could destroy the world, which he had done before.

"I had once sold the world, but I haven't destroyed one… yet," he said as his memories flashed on his mind, the past life that was too cruel for a normal man. And he did remember how he almost conquered his previous world. Now that he had this power, he could easily redo his conquest. This time with ease.

"Impressive, Big Boss…" Watanuki said, amused to what he had done, as he looked up to the shattered moon. The man stared back at him, acrimony was written all over his face. "You really do know how to send a message," Watanuki added before his right hand fished something on his right pocket of his kimono and took out a small object. He showed it to Big Boss and it was a black leather eye patch.

"The man in the moon made this for you, your black leather jacket and green pants is in your room," he said as Big Boss took it from his hand, wielding it on his face to cover his right eye. He felt like he was back to his normal self once more, and he liked it.

The menacing and enigmatic Big Boss.

"Now then, would you like to thank the Man in the Moon for, at least, the eyepatch?" Watanuki asked teasingly to the man who paused his walk by the window.

Big Boss glanced at him and replied, "If he ever rebuilds his moon… I will shoot it down again as a sign of my thanks, and after that… I'll plant a bullet in his head."

The guardian of wishes and dimensions smiled in amusement, he had like the man's brutal spirit. "Your gun by the way, it doesn't require bullets, it requires your will and resolve as a Guardian."

Big Boss glanced at his silver gun and slowly formed a dark grin, "Then I'll show him how truly wrong he was on waking a devil like me…" his eyes reflected back to him and it was no longer glowing in blue but of deep, blood, red. Big Boss had decided he will live through this world, but not as a Guardian.

* * *

Watanuki watched the receding back of Big Boss before he looked down at David the Fox. David, who had witnessed everything, merely yawned, disinterested to what Big Boss had showed them both. "Hmph… he still hasn't changed." David said.

Watanuki replied to him, "Anger is an irrelevant thing, it can make a person do irrelevant actions."

"Yeah and Big Boss is full of it, so he's nothing but an irrelevant being." The fox said as he turned around and walked back towards the window.

"David… please watch over him not just for me, but for the Man in the Moon too," Watanuki said as his face showed worry and concern; the fox however snorted, irritated by his request.

"Sure." He replied before he resumed his walk, away from him.

"Anger is truly an irrelevant thing, so is hatred and vengeance…" Watanuki said in a sad tone. He looked up to the moon and saw its shattered state. And then he recalled the mission that he had received from him, and he had finished it. He sighed as he had nothing to do anymore except to watch Big Boss and his uncharted future to unfold.

 **Chapter End.**

* * *

Watanuki Kimihiro is technically a character from xxxHolic, however I have only taken his appearance and skillset from the anime, his personality is mostly my own.


	2. The Moon's Calling

Chapter 1

* * *

disclaimer: I do not own characters from Metal Gear and ROTG movie, see full disclaimer on the prologue chapter.

* * *

 **10 years later**

 _Burgess, Town Park_

The sound of a child's laughter echoed happily on the Burgess's park. It was near Christmas, the air was cold, the ground was snow covered and the trees are all white and frozen.

Jamie Bennet ran at full speed on the ankle deep snowy ground, almost out of breath. He was being chased by his unseen friend, the Guardian of Fun, Jack Frost, who was flying behind him and also giggling, while mimicking monster noises at the child.

The two were always playing every end of the week and they never fail not to.

"Ok, you got me!" Jamie cried happily as Jack caught him by his shoulders.

"Ok then ten for me while ten for you, it's a draw!" the Guardian of Fun said as the boy merely nodded in agreement. The two then continue their peaceful day as they both sat down on a cold bench. They talk all of the good things that had happened on the past, Jamie listened to it all and he always remember everything that his friend says to him, Jack was his best friend after all.

"Oh man, I wish I could be there!" Jamie exclaimed appraisingly.

"Yeah I wish…" Jack then looked up to the sky together with Jamie and then both of them become dead silent. Even though they'd played for a long hour, fear then entered and shifted their hearts, uneasily. The shattered moon was hovering above them and it always give a terrifying feeling to every human on earth today.

Jamie shivered slightly and remembered the time when the moon suddenly exploded, it was nighttime and he was about to sleep when he heard a loud sound that almost deafened him. He looked through his window and saw the horrific shattering of the moon. It was already ten years ago and it always left a bad and terrifying impression to him.

"Jack, what happened to the moon? Why is it in a perfect perpetual crescent shape?" Jamie asked worriedly, tone heavy and full of concern to the moon. Because of the incident the whole world was in full alert for possible apocalyptic event which tensed every people, distressfully.

"I don't know Jamie…the moon suddenly exploded for no apparent reason at all." Jack too was worried but he was clueless just like the rest of the Guardians.

When the moon exploded, North and the others panic and tried to contact the moon. He remembered that time and it was a dark time, darker than when Pitch's comeback many years ago, he called a meeting in order to determine what had caused the disaster but it ended in a dead end and during that time the world was in chaos.

 _'_ _Who could have destroyed the moon?'_ Jack asked himself but didn't come up with anything. It was all too mysterious for him.

"Oi, Frostbite!" Jack came back to his senses after he heard a familiar voice of his friend, the Guardian of Hope, the Easter Bunny, Bunnymund. Bunnymund was hopping towards them, in a tiptoe stance for he couldn't handle the coldness of the snow.

"Jack, its Bunny! Hello Bunny," Jamie waved energetically at the rabbit who stopped and wave back with a smile then he turned to Jack and spoke in a serious tone.

"Jack, North called for a meeting, something had happened." Jack's eyes became stern. If Bunny was sent by North just to tell him that, it would mean that something had seriously happened and it was not good. He quickly nodded and faced Jamie to end today's fun event, which was unfortunate to the boy.

"Jamie, sorry about this but I have to go, North called all of us for a meeting." He said in a kind tone as the boy made a sad face which was replace by his radiant smile quickly, as he under stood what he meant.

"It's ok Jack, I can wait."

"Bye then Jamie." Jack made his one last smile before shooting up towards the sky and flew towards North Pole. Bunny, before he summoned his rabbit hole, paused and spoke to Jamie, "Don't worry we'll be back in no time," with sureness and a smile that somehow made his words real to the boy.

* * *

 **1 hour ago**

Inside the Office of North's workshop, North, the Guardian of Wonders, was coop up over a table, head down, eyes staring intently at a miniature ice sculpture of a steam ship. His hands moving meticulously as shaped the ship to life.

 _'_ _Ok… move this a little more-.'_ *BANG* The ship that he painstakingly build was crushed by his own hands after he reflexively made a fist from being shock from the door's sudden opening. He yelped in protest and immediately darted his eyes to the door, annoyed.

"Phil, for nth time, I've already taught you how to knock." North begin, annoyed to the barging Yeti. The yeti then rambled under with its own language while pointing something outside, and then the Guardian of wonder shot a glance at him, wide eyed and shock.

"The globe?" mystified for Phil had said something about the Globe, he immediately darted towards the door, in a hurried manner.

In the globe room, where a huge magnificent Globe filled with tiny golden lights, North stood in front of it, his eyes scanned the globe and watched lights flutter. Each of the lights represents a child who believed them or any other guardians. Nothing was wrong, all was normal.

"Phil, there is nothing wrong here-"and then North suddenly felt a strong horrifying presence, he scanned the globe again.

 _'_ _What is this presence? This is the first time that I felt such a-,'_ North didn't finish his thoughts. The huge Globe, which was peacefully blinking earlier, had suddenly burst into a gigantic flame, the fire roared infernally as North was pushed suddenly by a strong hot wind.

"Phil! Fire extinguisher, now!" North shouted as the familiar Yeti quickly run away to get what he needed. North watched as the fire, together with the wind, began to twist like a tornado and then as fast it appeared, the fire suddenly surged up and formed a man.

The Inferno man stood on top of the globe and looked down to North with menacing red eyes, the Guardian of Wonders only stare silently but inside him he was afraid. The man then let out a loud laughter that came from hell.

"HELL'S GATE IS OPEN!" he shouted, doomed and triumphant, before he suddenly disappeared, leaving the Guardian in fright.

"I-it can't be…!" North's leg shook, the fear was still in his heart. "That's a devil!" Devil, according to the legends that North had read many years ago, were creatures who came from the underworld and were hell-bent on destroying humanity, North thought that they're long kept in that place, but today it was disproven.

"This is a new enemy." North calmed himself down before he turned around and commanded Phil who'd just arrived, arms full of fire extinguishers, "Prepare my sword for battle, and thank you for bringing those fire extinguishers, I don't need them anymore." Phil let out a groan of protest before he dropped them all down and descended immediately below.

North looked up to the globe, a foreboding feeling of a great battle that will soon take place was churning in his heart. A new enemy has emerged and it was a devil and he never encountered it before. This coming battle would certainly be hard.

* * *

 **2 Hours Later**

After the arrival of the other Guardians, North immediately called them all to the Globe room. The Guardians stood and began to discuss and listened intently to North who bean to tell the terrifying tale of the emergence of the new enemy.

Sandman, the Guardian of Good Dreams, asked silently as he drew several sand signs above his head while Tooth, the Tooth Fairy, silently listened calmly while her little fairies that were hovering around her, were aghast and shock. Bunny's head was down, eyes closed and visualized what the enemy looked like and as for Jack Frost? He was gripping his staff with his right hand, nervous of North's story.

And after the Guardian of Wonder finished his tale, all of them reached the same image of what the enemy looked like.

"It's definitely a Devil." Bunny boomed in first followed by Tooth.

"This is the first time we've encountered one, but why now?" she asked in a curious manner.

Sandman then created sand signs above his head, answering her, and showed that demon might've escaped from hell.

"Sandy, if that's the case, the world's doom," Bunny countered immediately. Jack from his place, couldn't think of anything, he spaced out towards the insignia of the 'Big Four' on the floor on the middle of the Globe room.

The new enemy looks very strong indeed and it could threaten their existence. Jack rummaged through his thoughts but then he suddenly noticed the Big Four's insignia started to glow in blue. He looked up to the roof, where the large opened hole was. It serves as a gateway for the moon's light if the moon wanted to communicate with them and the moon was casting its light through it right now.

"North, _Man in Moon_ is here!" Jack said and everyone darted their eyes towards the insignia. They all immediately stood up in excitement, erasing the fear from their hearts. At last, for 10 years of silence, the moon finally _began to talk_ to them once more.

"Manny! We're so glad that you're alright!" North began, and beamed his happiness to the moon. Then immediately the Guardian of Wonder began to retell what happened earlier.

"A new enemy has arisen…and I sense its strength. This one is dangerous, we need help. How can we save the children against it?" in a troubled manner North questioned the moon. The moon's light then began to shift on the insignia of the Big Four, all of them looked down and waited the moon's answer.

The light twist and formed and showed a bird to the Guardians who stared back with bewilderment. Jack, however stared with questioning eyes, he didn't know what the moon was telling them.

"Uh, we need a bird to defeat the enemy?" he asked inquisitively while looking down at the symbol.

"No Jack, that symbol is an insignia of someone that we all know," Tooth said as she smiled to the Jack's humorous inquisitive look.

"Jack, this insignia belongs to the Guardian of Wishes and Dimensions, Watanuki Kimihiro and he's the oldest known Guardian ever." Bunny said with appraisal, not expecting that the Moon's answer would be the infamous guardian.

Jack whistled in awe, the Guardians sounded very old and strong to him. North nodded in extol, the answer had satisfied and erased all of his worries, the Guardian of Wishes and Dimensions, several memories of him appeared on his mind and he knows that Guardian could help them in this dire situation.

"Watanuki is known with several titles in the Guardian world, he's most recent one, Guardian of Wishes and Dimensions, but he was famously known with another title," North faced the Guardians and beamed his trusting smile, "he was known as 'The Dimensional Warlock'."

Jack in awe gulped down and looked at the insignia with curiosity. What does the warlock look like, he most certainly wanted to know? He smiled and thought maybe he could be a new friend for him.

* * *

 **Pripyat (Abandoned City), Ukraine**

The abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine, a once bustling city of technology due to the nuclear power plant beside it, hummed monotonously, the wind passing through the broken down buildings, creating an eerie feeling for any man who dares to set foot on the city.

The whole place was still sealed off, even though the disaster from nuclear power plant took place in the late nineties, because of radiation levels on the ground, no land dwelling animals were present either for the ground was barren and lifeless. Nothing was in here except the remains and decays of a peaceful city.

A rustle of rubbles echoed from a top of an abandoned apartment building. Big Boss stood from the edge of the roof top and gazed his left blue eye at the remains of the city, melancholically. Back from his home world, such disaster like this didn't happen.

"Chernobyl hmm…?" his mouth released smoke coming from his cigar on his mouth. He had researched about the place and he deemed dangerous for humans too.

"Are you sure you smelled it here?" he turns his gaze at David, the fox, who was licking his right paw.

"Yeah, don't you trust my nose?" David asked with a sarcastic manner.

"I don't trust foxes," Big Boss answered, he didn't like foxes because of his memories regarding it.

"Then stop asking stupid questions." David answered back to Big Boss, shooting him an annoyed glare at the man. Big Boss didn't answer for he knew it would only end up in a heated argument. For ten years, the fox always followed him and not even once, he didn't fail tracking 'those things' with his little nose.

He hated to admit it, but he had begun to trust the fox.

"Say, for ten years of hunting those things aren't you getting tired of it?" Big Boss asked, not of concern, but of curiosity.

"Hmph, of course I'm getting tired of following you, but _you_ need me on hunting those 'things'," David slowly turn his eyes at him, slyly smiling, "without me you'll be dead by now, killed by those 'things'."

Now it's Big Boss who shot a glare at him, even though he trusted the fox, he didn't like him, his smile that was filled with secrecy, his whimsical thinking that degrades him and everything about him. But he was correct, without him he could be dead by now, killed and eaten by those 'things'.

He took a whiff of his cigar before he threw it away from his mouth and said, "Let's go, pinpoint me its location." He avoided countering David's words, and this made the fox smiled mockingly at him.

"It's right over there, near the lake." And with what he said, Big Boss spun and leaped from the edge. His form blocked the bright shattered moon before he descended towards the ground.

Running through the woods, Big Boss broke a twig as his boots stomped on the ground. The air passed through his face and the black cloak that flutters over his black leather jacket and green pants.

He didn't notice anything, his remaining eye focused on the 'thing' on the lake which he had reached eventually.

* * *

The man stood at the edge of dirty brown colored lake and stared down at the middle of the lake, where a huge rock was protruding on the surface. Any normal human would see it as a normal huge rock but Big Boss, he didn't. His eyes trailed down and notice that the rock wasn't even touching the ground underneath the surface, it was floating.

"So what is 'the thing' this time?" Big Boss said as he took a step on the water, creating splashing sound and just as he took that step, the rock suddenly made a loud thud and crashed down the ground of the lake. Big Boss stared at intently and watched as the rock began to morphed into something terrifying.

It formed a long snout, then a pair of large ears and then a body and two pairs of legs and lastly a single long tail, its whole skin was grey and made of rocks. It had a big resemblance to a rat.

"It looks like… a rat." Big Boss observed as David the fox sat pleasant at the edge of the lake and said to him.

"No shit, _BB_ , it's a rat." Big Boss was about to shot a glare at him but then he moved his hands, found his dual guns on his back, and drew it too fired at the incoming rat. The rat was running at a staggering speed despite its heavy skin which ricocheted the bullets coming from the man.

Big Boss then ran, his gun began to glow in blue and fired many shots but he grunted as his bullets only bounce back.

"Skin is made of stone… great." He cursed as he then stopped and spun around and faced the incoming rat. The rat plowed through the water towards the man, it was about to hit him when the man jumped high to the air and fired again.

 _'_ _Its skin is made of stone…'_ Big Boss observed more from the air, ' _then that would mean its flesh is-,'_ then he darted his blue eye at his left feet, the end of the rat's tail was war around his left leg and he only let out a grunt.

"Shit!" he cursed as the rat pulled and waved him downward towards the water, he hit the water and the ground with his back, sending him an agonizing pain. Big Boss gritted his teeth and tried to shot the tail but before he could even move his gun, the rat moved its tail, dragging him and eventually throwing him again towards the ground.

David watched the brutally with unworried eyes, Big Boss was thrown to many direction and hit many things. The rat lashed him towards a tree, Big Boss heard his spine crack and that made him grunt, and then to the ground and eventually the on a rocky part of the lake. Big Boss hit his head on a rock and he fell unconscious, his head began bleed, his mouth was filled with blood.

David glanced at Big Boss, "Hmm… interesting rat, so then B squared," he muttered as the rat threw him again on the ground, underneath the surface, submerging him to the lake, "how would you eat it?" David then smiled to the adversity of the man and only watched.

The rat, sensing the demise of its prey, raised Big Boss from underneath, his face was bloody and blood was leaking on his mouth. The rat raised towards his snout which opened and reveal it several rows of teeth and unbearable breath. Big Boss was half awake but pain had prevented him from moving fast.

"Tch, shit…" Big Boss gritted in pain as he began to move his right hand, ' _Guess…I have no choice!'_ he cursed for he was about to unleashed his power. He never planned to use his powers today, but he was losing. His right reached for his eyepatch and with then with his last strength, he tagged it away and reveal his right eye which was all bloody red.

And then he burst into bright blue flames.

David watched as the rat struggled from the bright light that Big Boss was releasing and let out a squirm of pain. Its tail was broken and Big Boss had escaped from it and stood in front of it.

The man charged towards the rat and grabbed its slithering tongue inside its mouth. And with a burst of inhuman strength he pushed himself up towards the sky, dragging the rat with him. He then wildly spun on midair and with a strong force he threw it upwards.

The rat released an unholy roar, its mouth wide opened. Big Boss then pointed his left gun, which began to glow in blue and fired a blue colored bullet. The bullet traveled and then it suddenly transformed into a long vertical light which swish passed through the rat, silencing it.

The rat, after a second of silence, split into two halves as its skin cracked, exposing its innards and blood, Big Boss then landed on the lake, and the blood and organs from the creature, rained on him.

"So 'well done' I guess hehehe." The Fox snickered laughter as Big Boss was soaked in blood, his eyes were now both red which he locked on the remains of the rat that fell from the sky. He approached the first half and dug his right hand on the exposed organs and muscle of the rat, and took out a chunk.

And then he ate it. His hands automatically dig in to the flesh and bit and chew out of it like he hadn't eaten before.

"Looks like I chose good prey for you eh, Big Boss?" David smiled at him. He had like this part of Big Boss and he never failed to miss any of his appetite actions for ten years straight. His appetite for monsters, which he called the 'Things', was amazing to watch, for Big Boss was showing what he truly was to him. A monster and nothing more.

* * *

 **Tokyo, Japan**

Jack Frost stood bewildered and mystified in front of a large house that was sandwiched between two buildings. After the Guardians ended their meeting, they eventually used one of North's teleportation device and opened a gate to this bustling city and to this weird dainty house.

The house was the oldest and probably the strongest Guardian of all.

"Is this it?" Jack asked, confused to the old weird house that houses the strongest guardian.

"Careful Jack don't judge the book by its cover." Bunny reminded him with a chuckle as North lead them all towards the entrance. They passed through an arch and onto a front garden filled with nothing but grasses and onto the door. North was about to rang the doorbell when the door suddenly opened.

Jack then stared down to a tall lanky pale lanky man wearing a green Japanese traditional shirt and white pants and a glasses over it two colored eyes. Confounded to the man's appearance he only stared straightly.

"Good afternoon North and the rest… and to Jack Frost who seemed to be expecting more on my appearance." Jack was taken aback; the man knew what he was expecting from him. Now his image to him changed to something mystifying, the man was something else indeed.

"Told ya not to judge." Bunny beamed on him with a grin.

"I am not…well." Jack tried to counter but only sighed. Watanuki Kimihiro chuckled to him. he sensed his honest mistake and his kindred spirit.

"Let bygones be bygones, come in everyone, I prepared the meeting room."

"We thank you for everything Kimihiro- _san_." North entered with the Guardians to the humbled home of the 'the Dimensional Warlock,'. Jack was the last to enter and before he closed the door he looked up and saw the shattered the moon, he smiled knowing that the moon, even though it was in a broken state, was still around.

* * *

In a wide Japanese room, Jack and the rest and the rest of the Guardians were sitting comfortably on the tatami floor while North and Watanuki were both discussing on the small table in front of them. North was retelling his story to Watanuki who only listened intently, making small nod and agreeing with something.

"Hey Bunny, he got a funny name," Jack leaned on Bunny and whispered secretly away from Watanuki's ears.

"I know, just play it cool, I almost died laughing because of his name." Jack listened to Bunny. He couldn't understand why the name of the Guardian was weird, although it sounds Japanese, it can make someone smile and or, in the case of Bunny, laugh.

"I see so that's what happened," Watanuki said as he fixed his glasses over his two colored eyes of brown and blue, he moved and landed it to Jack and added, "I was born on April 1st, in Japanese Kanji it was pronounce as _Watanuki_ , hence my name."

Jack was complete red, embarrassed that once again the man read his mind. He only squirm silently and looked down as Bunny grinned at his embarrassing chagrin.

"I told you never judge."

"Bunny, can you please stop teasing Jack." Tooth butted in as she saw the redness on Jack's face, " you were like that when Watanuki- _san_ said something the same thing to you," now this time Bunny's face become red as Tooth looked away, with a smile, successfully evened him to Jack.

Bunny only silently rummaged and looked down and this made Watanuki lightly laughed. The Guardians were funny to him and he saw that all of them are all right and doing their duties wonderfully.

"Ok then, what can I do with it?" Watanuki then talked to North, his face became serious, shifting the subject back to the problem. North caressed his long white beard with his hand, nothing came to his mind. The moon showed him to them which means he can do something for them. And then it struck him, he realized what the moon was telling them.

"Well we came to make a deal with you." North said plainly. Watanuki slowly shifted his eyes to him, a calm smile appeared on his face.

"It seems the Moon was about to make an _another_ deal with me." Jack blinked in confusion at Watanuki, surprised that even the Guardian's deity had made a deal with him.

"Very well. You're not angry with the moon, North; I mean he _used you_ to make a deal with me which would mean _you_ were the one who has to pay something to me, not him." North silently looked down and thought what he said and he was correct.

"Yes, but we the Guardians are connected as a family to the Moon, I'm willing to pay any price just for his cause." North answered with full honesty. Watanuki closed his eyes and sensed his honesty. North was determined indeed; he can only continue with this transaction.

"Very well, I will grant what the Moon is asking me to do." He said as North dug his left hand on the left pocket of his coat and took out a small golden ring. He handded it over to Watanuki who looked it, before he put it in his pocket.

 _'_ _He didn't even ask what the moon had wanted him to do,'_ Jack thought astonished as to what Watanuki could do, he felt that his abilities had surpassed them all, he was indeed strong and wise. He lived up to his name.

"We'll wait until midnight, I will talk to the man in the moon, _personally_." Watanuki said as the Guardians only nodded and the rest only accepted what he said. Jack slowly sigh in exhaustion, for the first time in his life, he would experience a long night with an estranged, yet strong, Watanuki Kimihiro.

* * *

It was already midnight, and the Guardians were all sitting inside the room, all discussing what will happen from now on. Jack was questioning everything; the appearance of the devil had startled him many times but he was curious as to what it was or if the person was just another guardian.

"To be precise Devil's and demons can become Guardians, but they're the bad ones," North answered as Bunny explained.

"Yup, instilling chaos instead of peace, they're very hard to break though for nothing was in their mind except for…"

"Sins," Tooth then said to Jack as she too began to explain the origin of the Devils to Jack who only listened intently at her.

"Devils only contain sins, and the sins were divided into several parts; Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy… and biggest of all, Pride." Tooth finished as Sandman drew all of the seven devils above his head, Jack absorbed the knowledge that he had gain, he thought about their appearances however he was only puzzled as to where they came from.

"So where they came from and who appeared at North's workshop."

The Guardians were silent, they too didn't know which Devil appeared before North on his workshop, the story was a bit vague, the Devil was nothing but composed of mere flames.

"That can be answered by the moon." Watanuki answered and made everyone looked at him. He silently entered with a huge steel bow on his hands. The Guardians immediately sat straight up and waited for him to prepare.

Jack observed from the corner of his eyes, he watched him put the bowl on the floor in front of the window which he opened wide. The shattered moon's light shone brightly against it after the lights and candles around the room were extinguish magically.

"Are you all ready?" Watanuki asked and received only a nod from everyone and took out a small silvery crystal from his pants pocket. Jack saw it glint beautifully under the moonlight and recognize it as the same crystal from North's workshop, the one that usually pops out form the Globe room's floor, whenever the moon was going to tell them of a birth of a new Guardian.

"Lunar Crystal," North whispered to Jack. It was indeed the same crystal from his place.

Watanuki then drop the crystal into the water and watched it sunk beneath, he breathed and whispered.

"Tell me now Man in the Moon, I've made my part, you may do yours now…" and then the Moon's light shifted and focused on the crystal underneath. The crystal began to glow bright and covered the whole water with radiant light. Watanuki watched as the light then cast a shadow on the ceiling, a shadow of a man with four horns, one pair was curved downwards while the other of it are curved upwards.

It was a menacing shadow, of the new enemy, the Devil.

"Four horns, I heard a devil with four horns." Tooth begin to Bunny who only nodded in nervousness.

"It's Ba'al, the Lord of the Devils and the Guardian of Pride." North exclaimed, his eyes were wide and filled with alertness. He wasn't mistaken, the devil was Ba'al and it said in the legends, he was a top rank devils in hell.

Sandy made sand signs again in his head, asking North beside him if they could stand a chance with such guardian. And the Guardian of Wonder's didn't answer, North didn't know how. This was all too new to him.

"Watanuki- _san_ ," Bunny asked suddenly, unnerve to the shadow's identity, "can we stand a chance, can we fight it off?" Watanuki merely glanced at and made a calm smile and turned his back at him. His silent isn't good for them, that would be mean no.

The light on the bowl suddenly shifted and erased the demon shadow again and then it began to form into another figure. The figure rose from the bowl and stood above them the Guardians.

* * *

North wide eyed, surprised to the figure, suddenly stood up, a smile formed in his face. Bunny let out a smile and a chuckle of delight as he also stood up and hopped towards the figure.

"Oh my…then this mean, a new Guardian!" Tooth couldn't keep it all of her excitement, she burst and hovered around the room. Jack understood everyone's reaction, and he too was happy to see a figure of a new Guardian. The moon was still alive and he had chosen one.

He stood up and walked towards the figure and observed his face. It was a clothed in long black cloak, black leather jacket and green pants, standing erect with its black boots. He looked at his face and he saw its closed beard and his scars that riddled his face, his right eye was covered with an eyepatch and that made him look tough and menacing.

"I can't believe it, we have new Guardian and this Guardian can defeat him," Jack said as Sandman made a happy smiling sand above his head.

"Oh and he looks like a handsome guy…" Tooth wondered, her mind clouded with dreamy face of the man.

"And he looks tough, easy to scare a demon." Bunny butted in and observed the man with pride.

"And he could be a good Guardian." North said while stroking his beard remarking his looks.

"So how can we find him?" Jack asked and everyone felt silent. That was a good and hard question ever, how will they find such guy like this one. They need to find the man right now and they wouldn't have the luxury of time to wait and sit idle as the new enemy began to plan its attack against the world.

"Uh guys?" Jack asked again, confused to everyone's silent.

"Maybe you should ask them, 'who will find this man' Jack?" Watanuki smiled at Jack and also notice the silence of the Guardians. The Guardians turn to him as they reflected what Watanuki said and they suddenly have an idea on who could find the man.

"Watanuki, do you perhaps know where he is?" North asked with a humble smile at Watanuki who fixed his glasses over his eyes.

"Yes, he just boarded FedEx Flight 007 in Boryspil International Airport, Ukraine, bound for Heathrow International in the United Kingdom." Watanuki dictated with simplicity making everyone's jaw drop in awe. The man was truly menacing on finding Guardians.

"Boy, if you worked for the CIA right now, the whole world much safer." Bunny commented in disbelief to Watanuki who merely nodded and took out a piece of paper that was shape like a person.

"Now before you find him, there's something you need to know about that man," Watanuki began as he faced the bowl again with the caricature paper of a person. Jack took a glance at it and saw that it was and something was pasted on it, it was a single strand of brown hair. Curious to what he will do he silently watch.

"You seemed to know about that man already." North said in a curious manner as the man dipped the paper person on the water and answered him.

"It's because the Moon already sent him to me many years ago." Startled to what he said, the Guardians was about to asked him but the water suddenly let out a bright blue light and shoots up to the ceiling, erasing the figure of the new Guardian, and began to flashed pictures and moving images. Jack was surprised and amused to what happened.

He stood up and began to look at the images.

"Are these memories?" he asked as Watanuki replied.

"Yes."

"Of whom?" Jack asked delightedly as he went to an image and began to watch one particular memory.

"These are the memories of the new Guardian, Big Boss." Watanuki said in a joyous like manner, finally the second phase of his mission was complete, he had announced to them the new guardian of the world. Now he silently observed everyone who began to view Big Boss's memories.

 _'_ _It's done…'_ Watanuki thought as he closed his eyes, ' _Now John, you will be soon free from your curse,'_ he thought as his heart beat jubilantly as he saw the future of Big Boss, and it was beautiful and bright and at the exact moment that he began to see the good life of Big Boss. The new Guardian, Big Boss, woke up inside a plane's cargo hold from a dreaded nightmare after letting out a horrifying scream.

* * *

Woo-hoo! Finally updated! Special thanks to PhillyCh3zSt3ak for a good proofreading. :) Guys welcome to my new fanfic! PLease leave reviews if you want to.

Betaed by PhillyCh3zSt3ak :)


	3. Encounter and Entrapment

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See first chapter

Grammar/spelling beta: PhillyCh3zSt3ak

* * *

The air was cold as ice, and unbearable to any man or living creatures, as Big Boss took a step. His eyes scan warily, his breath escaped from his mouth and he could see it. He crossed his upper limbs, hands locked on his upper arm, as he felt the coldness seeping in his clothes, then to his skin and then to his bones.

He heaved himself heavily; it was so cold for him.

 _'Where am I? '_ he thought as he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be standing on a place where there's a long corridor that was stretched in front of him, the walls are littered with vines and grass, and the sky was grey and the whole place was enveloped in thick fog, which puzzled him.

"Where am I?" he asked again out loud and strangely as he walked on a slow pace.

"John…" he paused suddenly letting the silence filled his ears with eeriness. His ears caught a voice, a woman's and he immediately darted to where it was coming from. His eyes adjusted hard as the fog becomes thicker and thicker and then he caught a movement.

"Wait," Big Boss said, he immediately ran as he felt something had pushed him to follow the figure.

"Wait!" this time he shouted as the corridor turn sharply to the right, he caught another glimpse of the ghostly figure that took off running again, and then sharply to the left. He grunted in annoyance as he crashed down on a wall and then resumed his running.

"Why am I in a maze!?" he protested aggravated to the blind sharp turns of the corridor which gave him an idea that he was in a maze, and it must be correct for he faced a dead end, he only let out a growl of frustration. He looked around, again, irritated to where the ghostly figure had gone to.

"John…" then he froze and turned his head to his left and saw the figure again, turning sharply on a corner.

 _'Her voice, it sounds familiar.'_ now Big Boss curiosity had gone up. His mind ran so suddenly, the ghostly voice has strike him a strong familiarity, he wanted to catch her more and then he took off running.

* * *

The maze put him in a mental turmoil of confusion and exhaustion. It must've been an hour but he still chased the figure. He could no longer see her anymore; he made a grunt of frustration.

However, he suddenly stopped. The corridors had ended and now, even though he could barely see of what ahead of him, he could see the walls encircling around him, he had reach a clearing and the fog was still thick as he slowly walked again and tried to find the woman.

"John…" the ghostly voice again rang and this time his eyes began to fill with strong reminiscence, he had heard the voice before, his chest swam in sudden shock and anticipation as he followed the voice and eventually his eyes landed on a back of a figure clad in white military suite.

His heart then skipped a beat, an old feeling of sadness and elation mixed in his heart. He recognized her even though without looking at her face, she knows it was her for he painfully recalled the clothing that she was wearing was the same clothes that she wore on that fateful day, where he killed her on that fields of flowers.

"B-Boss?" Big Boss tone wavered in exhilaration and then slowly the woman turned around and at this moment, Big Boss heart melted, he couldn't express clearly but joy had made his face smile, tears of exuberance began to ran down from his eyes. It was no mistake, it was her, the woman who became his mentor and loved as mother figure, 'The Boss,'.

Memories of her rushed in his head, feelings that he had showed and felt whenever she was around him poured out uncontrollably, he dashed in frenzy and enclosed his arms around her and buried his face on her right shoulder. Her warm body, her smell and her breath, he felt it all and it only made him feel more jubilated. She was here now, there's no doubt about it.

"Boss, oh how I've miss you…" tears didn't stop pouring out in his eyes as Big Boss spoke in gladness. He didn't let go, he would never let go anymore for if he does right now, he will feel that same feeling when he killed her, that painful agonizing feeling that felt like death.

"John…" the boss spoke but Big Boss burst into a cry, a painful cry of despair.

"I'm sorry…that I wronged you…I'm sorry if I ruined everything…I'm sorry." Now his heart shifted to sorrow as his dark memories came back of him denying her last actions and words, the legacy that she'd left to him, that he had torn apart by his foolish naïve pride, his heart became heavy like it became a stone, shame began to pierce him. He deemed that the Boss will scold him and hate him right now, and he will accept it all, even her harsh words and her punishment. He wanted to stay with her forever and he'll do anything for that to happen.

"John…" the Boss spoke again, her voice sends serenity and at the same time remorseful distress, to Big Boss who became silent.

"It's all right, all has been forgiven," Big Boss felt her hand behind her back, it was a bliss, he can truly feel her right now.

"However, you cannot go to where I am going. You cannot enter to the place where everyone is right now." The boss's tone then grew cold and Big Boss noticed it. He moved away slowly, even though it pains him, and looked at her with grief.

"What, why? Why can't I go?" he asked as his heartache, tormented to what she said.

"Your sins are too heavy to be forgiven…you're being punished John," her silver grey eyes stared at him and Big Boss could see her sadness, she too, tormented to what she had said to him and to what his fate would turn to.

Big Boss grit his teeth, bitterness swelled enormously in his heart. However, he was in agony, his life was sinful and cannot be easily forgiven, he had only hope of being forgiven in heaven just to be with her but now, as she said it, it has become impossible.

"I'm sorry John, but always remember I will always be there watching you and guiding you." the Boss then had a sad, slow, smile. Big Boss began to cry and then his eyes widened in shock as he saw the Boss was beginning to become transparent, she was slowly disappearing. A wave of terror and pain of being alone in the strange new world hit him hard.

"No! Boss! Wait! Let me come with you! Please!" he shouted in despair, right now he wanted to offer his life just to go to the place where she would be going. The foreboding anguish of being alone slowly enveloped him as he ran and attempted to hug her, but his hands passed through her. Horror formed in his face. He couldn't no longer touch and feel her.

"NO! Boss!" Big Boss, as far as his memory could serve him, had trained to endure pain from torture but this was too much for him to handle. He cried loudly as he his hands flew and tried to catch her but to no avail, the Boss only closed her eyes, her sad smile was still there, she might be trying to tell him that he must cherished her smile for it was the last thing that he will see from her.

"This world needs you John, this world needs… a Guardian," Big Boss stared in misery as he kneeled and watched the Boss disappear after she let out her final word. "Goodbye John…"

Big Boss stared to nothingness as the Boss finally disappeared, he was in a mess, his mind was all muddled and congested with agony, pain, misery and sadness. He was alone again and this time it would be forever. He can't do anything anymore but accept it painfully.

"BOSS!" Big Boss couldn't take it anymore, the pain from being resurrected, the despair of being alone, and the sorrow of living immortal without purpose, all of it will remain with him forevermore, so he only howled like a wolf who lost his mate.

* * *

 **On a cargo Plane**

"BOSS!" Big Boss screamed in dread and jolted from sleep. He was breathless as cold sweat began to smear his face. He looked around, he was inside a cargo plane, there're tons of boxes and pallets stack on one another beside him. The floor beneath him shook lightly and his ears began to be filled with the engine sounds of the plane.

 _'I remember…'_ Big Boss calmed his nerves, he began to recollect and recalled that he had boarded, more like snuck in, from Ukraine and he was bound for UK, a place that David mention where he sensed a lot of those things.

"Oi, B squared." He looked up and his eyes became plain as David stood on top of a box, looking down at him, unconcernedly. Now Big Boss just wished he could go back to sleep and have another nightmare, he couldn't stand the fox's egoistic attitude.

"Are you dreaming?"

"Yeah, a nightmare." Big Boss plainly said, he only sat and began to replay the dream again in his head.

"From your own memories?" David said a mischievous smile formed in the fox's face as he jumped down and landed in front of the man. "Nightmares sometimes come from dark memories; perhaps your whole life was a dream," a snickered laugh escaped from his lips, and this made Big Boss shot a dark glance at him.

"Hmph, and so what? It's my life." He declared, avoiding David's attempt on pestering him further. David usually lash out his large intellectual ego in order to discriminate him however the things that he usually said were nearly true and that angers Big Boss more.

"I'm bored, where are we?" the man asked as he pulled his black cloak away from his body and stood up. He peaked through the window of the fuselage and saw the dark clouds below the plane and the shattered moon on the distance which he gave a satisfied smile.

"In Slovakian airspace. We've been flying for 45 minutes, B squared, when you scream." David complained, slyly making the man groan in irate.

"This flight has been delayed for an hour and a half back at the airport so we've been flying for at least two hours." He shot back and saw David bit his lower lip, frustrated to his unexpected comeback, and this made him smile.

"Anyway, think you could find me a nearby one?"

"Fine." Not bothered with the change of location, David used his nose again, smelling and sniffing the air and then said immediately, "There's one in Germany, good enough for you."

Big Boss immediately went over to the fuselage door, he didn't waste any time, and kicked it with his left leg. The door burst opened and the whole plane immediately nosedived as the pressure inside changed. The pilot must be panicking right now, but Big Boss didn't care, he was in a cargo plane after all.

"You know, this plane will fly above Germany within two hours," David commented as Big Boss picked him up and shoved him onto his deep right breast pocket of his cloak.

"And I can fly there in just twenty-five minutes at Mach 20," Big Boss said as he bent his knees and shot out of the plane.

Calm and tranquility, that's what he felt whenever flew into the air and this was the only thing that Big Boss liked about his new self, he can fly at a staggering speed of Mach 20, the speed of sound. Air rush past Big Boss, finally he was out and could think clearly about his nightmare, the Boss she appeared in his mind again and said her last haunting words.

"Boss…" he muttered in sadness as he closed his eyes and only continued flying.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the sky above Germany**

North's sleigh came out from the magic portal and swooped down on the city of Berlin. The Guardians inside darted their eyes everywhere looking for any familiar glint of the new Guardian.

"Are you sure Watanuki said he'll be in Germany?" Bunny griped tightly on his seat, he was still uncomfortable with North's flying skill even though he had ridden his sleigh many times before.

"Well he said that that man might've changed his mind and only swooped down to this country." North said as Jack asked fervently.

"What will we do when we find him?"

"We capture and tell him who he was, oh it's gonna be epic and wonderful!" North excitedly said and playfully whipped his reindeers in front of him. Jack too was joyful and excited he couldn't wait to know the man more; he was very interested.

* * *

 **Kirchlengern Forest, Germany**

The forest of Kirchlengern stood silent before Big Boss who silently stared back with hunting eyes, standing on the road. He heard about this place before, it was one of the most haunted forest in Germany, spectral sights of unknown are the usual in this place but to him it was all nothing. He was powerful then those kind of things anyway, and he knows it very well.

"Ooohhh spooky forest~," David began teasing him, desperate to evened himself to him from his comeback, "Hey B squared, too spooky for you?"

"No, and what's wrong with Big Boss, hmm?" Big Boss answered coldly and the fox just chuckled triumphantly.

"Now then, 'the thing' is just about a mile from here." The fox dictated and then both of them entered the forest silently, determine to finish off the monster.

* * *

It's been an hour after they entered but they haven't found anything. The moon's light shone brightly on ground and illuminated a path where Big Boss was walking. His eyes skirted every corner and scene, looking for 'the thing' creatures and then he let out a groan after he heard his stomach growl in hunger protest.

"Great…" _'I'm hungry again'_ Big Boss calmly walked on, ignoring his stomach and David who seemed to smile mischievously  
"Heh, Big Boss, aren't you a pig?" and then Big Boss suddenly stopped, making David smile grew wider. Finally, for a long time, he touched a nerve now he'll just listen and watch how Big Boss will react and scowl at him with a funny looking angry face of being pissed off.

"Did you hear that?" Big Boss asked and to David's dismay he wasn't affected to what he said, he simply growl in frustration and use his ears. He caught something, a rustle of leaves, breaking of twigs and footsteps of a human.

"So what, this is a public place. Not to mention I saw a camp station nearby while we were traveling here." David said simply, there might be human out there but to Big Boss it was something else.

"It's children, three of them. Now who would let children take a stroll in the middle of the night, in a middle haunted of a forest?" he answered back at David who only snorted. The place was dangerous, the steep cliffs and raging river might take a life.

Big Boss took off running towards the main source of the sound; it was not guiding them back to safety was his primary objective, they could be a good bait for the monster if it ever noticed them, but he'll have to protect them from it, he didn't want them to be killed by the 'things', it would have made him feel guilty.

He then jumped into the trees and jumped branches to branches to get a better view of his surroundings. Then after a minute he stopped, he caught a movement below him and looked down and keenly observed.

There were three children, all were clothed in brown pants and brown shirt, a boy scout uniform. "They're from the nearby camp," Big Boss observed more from the tree branch. The three boys continue walking and their eyes seemed to be in a daze at a group of fireflies that were flying in front of them.

He observed more and noticed something, the insects seemed to attract and hypnotize them.

"It's the thing, David where is it?" Big Boss asked not leaving his eyes at the boys. David right beside him quickly said.

"A couple of meters ahead… in the middle of that clearing-"*SNAP!*a sharp sound of a tree branch breaking had hit Big Boss's senses hard, his instinct revered to life, as his hands draw his two guns and faced the being that he had sensed just now, ready to kill. Big Boss blue eye then met a white haired teenager's blue eyes but then he gasped in shock.

"Whoa easy there! I don't mean to shock you!" his eyes, unsettled shockingly, trailed the boy that was floating on midair. He couldn't believe it; he was seeing someone levitating and seeing him and talking to him.

"What. The. Fuck." Big Boss only muttered, unsettled and disbelief.

* * *

 **30 minutes earlier**

"Oh man, this forest is huge," Jack Frost silently complained. After the guardian landed on the forest, as Watanuki suggested via the magical earpiece that he gave to them back for his shop, they quickly dispersed and searched for the new guardian.

"This is funny…" he protested to the earpiece on his right ear, the design of it was a pink beak of a bird with wings protruding to its side; it was too girly for him.

"And why will he catch him? We could just talk to him." another complaint escaped his lips as he took out a red small bag which Watanuki gave to them. The oldest guardian told them that they will need it in order to capture Big Boss and that weirded him out. It seems the man was nothing but an animal to him.

"Ok, but how will this help?" he looked inside and only saw a long, thin, silvery string. He was doubting the object, how would such a flimsy object would capture a huge strong man like Big Boss, it's impossible but then again, this was made by Watanuki. He felt the man could capture Big Boss easily.

"Ok how can I find him?" Jack resumed his uneventful search but then his ears picked up a low thud coming above him. He looked up and saw nothing and then he shifted to the trees and this time caught a movement of a cloak on a person, jumping from branches to branches.

"It's him!" he exclaimed as a feeling of heavy nausea swept in his stomach. He had found the man now, how can he approach him without giving him a shock. He silently moans in nervousness; he couldn't think right now very well.

 _'Oh great…'_ With no idea, he only hovered himself to a tree branch and began to follow him. His eyes locked on the man several meters away, who kept on jumping and leaping to branches. Jack was still thinking on how to introduce himself to him, hardly. He didn't want to create a bad impression of himself.

He was still thinking when he suddenly stopped as the figure stop on a branch. He looked closely; the man was in there, looking at something intently. He didn't know what it was, now this was an opportunity to sneak and talk to him, Jack saw it and he immediately flew towards him.

Nervousness had brittle his heart which was beating faster, the man was just below him and all he need to do was to say hello. It would be easy, the person was a human anyway.

 _'Ok, just calm down…'_ Jack calmed himself as he began and only rest his feet on the branch above the man, _'you'll just say hello-_ *SNAP!*Jack yelped as the branch broke, he fell but he recovered and hovered only to yelped loudly in shock as he saw a pair end of a barrel of a gun, pointing in his eyes.

"Whoa, easy there! I didn't mean to shock you!" Jack began as the man stared at him, wide eyed and shock to his appearance.

* * *

Silence loomed dangerously between the two. Big Boss trailed his eyes at Jack, astonished and bewildered to the floating boy. His hands lowered slightly but his fingers were firm on the trigger.

"Hey there…" Jack begin, a tense smile formed in his face as the man lowered his gun.

"Who the fuck are you?" Big Boss began, his questioning voice made Jack felt uneasy. The man was indeed tough and strong, he could feel his power within him. Big Boss wasn't sure of what the boy was but he felt something that he was the same as him.

"I am a guardian, um… _Boss_. I'm Jack Frost, the Guardian of Fun." He hunches was right. His mind traveled back when he thought of other Guardians before but he dismissed that, thinking he wouldn't plan to meet any of them, but now he was meeting one, and at close range.

"Jack Frost…." Strangely to his name, Big Boss only looked at him with hardened eyes, scrutinizing him if he's dangerous or not.

"Yeah I am, and you're-" Big Boss didn't shook his hands when the boy extended him for greeting, his ears caught a sound again and his attention immediately shifted to the children. He looked forward, facing his back at the boy who sighed defeated at him.

"Where are they going?" Big Boss asked himself as he the children stepped into the clearing and continue their daze walked. Suspicion arouse inside him, as to what could be the nature of the monster he will faced.

 _'That's my cue then…'_ Big Boss was about to leap to the ground when Jack's curious face blocked him.

"B-Boss, me and my group came to get you-" irritated and annoyed, Big Boss anger flared up, he grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and moved his face closer to his and snarled. "Get out of my way and don't interfere, or I'll kill you."

Jack yelped in fright as he saw the blue sharpness of his menacing left eye, he saw it was murderous; he feebly resisted his grip, but the grip was strong and unyielding as steel. Big Boss then threw him towards a nearby tree and immediately landed on the ground and ran. As much as he wanted to ask him with his so many questions of his own existence, he didn't want to be disturbed as he hunted.

* * *

He ran across the clearing filled with tall grasses, cutting through grasses and twigs until he stopped as he sensed something moving along the ground. He paused, his sense heightened for vigilance.

The kids were several meters away from him, he could grab them and ran back to the forest with his super speed however, the monster might only come out if its prey are nearby, he has to see the monster so he would've an idea on how to kill it.

 _'Might as well hide and wait for it to come out-.'_ "B-Boss, don't be shy to us I can introduce you to them in a much nicer way-." Big Boss turned around and was startled to see Jack Frost landed behind him. Panic settled in him as the thing might sense him, he immediately shouted at him.

"You son of a bitch, I told you to not to interfer-!" and then it was too late, the ground shook violently and the earth in front of the children burst open. Big Boss and the shaken Jack, looked in fright as a huge creature came out.

It was… a worm-like creature in a shape of a tree; its huge body was dark brown and slimy, and its branches were all littered with smaller versions of the worm, all slithering and lashing like they were tentacles, the roots of it were also composed of worms but its end were all pointed and sharp. The huge tree worm swayed tauntingly at them before it roared ghastly, revealing its ghoulish vertical mouth and its vertical sharp rows of teeth.

"What the…" Jack horrified to what he had seen, limply took a step back. The Monster roared then lunged itself at the children, mouth wide and grisly but before it could bite them all, a loud gunshot echoed and the monster was thrown away to the ground.

"Get the kids!" Jack looked over to his side and saw Big Boss glowing in blue, his two guns drawn, "Now!" he shouted and looked in front of him and was surprised to see a group of children.

"Go now!" his reflexes function and Jack was in the air immediately and with quickness, he grabbed the first one and swing it to his back, then he hugged to other two and flew again. The children were still in a daze as he flew past Big Boss, he looked at him and he was startled to see the left eye of Big Boss, looking back at him, filled with concern.

 _'He wasn't that bad, I guess,'_ Jack wondered thoughtfully and continue flying away from the abominable being.

* * *

Shots fired reverberated through the clearing as Big Boss ran to the sides, firing his gun at the monster. The monster was howling in pain, grimly as his blue bullets hit his worm branches and roots.

"It's definitely weak one." He said in a calm manner, but his guard was all up as he charged. He fired his gun many times but the monster only moved away, its wormy roots wiggled as violently as it moved away. Big Boss gave it a chase, his gun endlessly fired torrents of bullets.

"I just have to find its head," he was about to plan to defeat it but then his eyes widened in startled manner as the tree suddenly bend forward and jumped high into the air. It landed with a huge thud that rocks the earth and thrust itself upwards again.

 _'It can jump!?'_ Unbelievably, he observed and watched the tree moved in many directions, jumping in one place and another until he saw it turn around and jumped towards the fleeing Guardian of fun. He gritted his teeth in anger; it was still aiming for the children.

"God dammit!" Big Boss cursed to the tree's creepy features and immediately charged. He didn't plan to save them, he didn't know that three could jump, he was caught by surprise and he clicked his tongue in dismay as he ran and use his super speed.

"Jack!" He shouted, remembering his name, in alertness as he ran, "get down!"

* * *

 _'Almost there!'_ Jack said as he flew fast, the battle was still continuing behind him, he could hear the gun booming and the creature's agonizing screams and the loud thuds. He didn't look back; the children must be kept safe.

"Finally!" Jack shouted in delight as he landed on the edge of the clearing and put the children below a tree. Now they're safe and Big Boss was here, the guardian looks strong and can defeat the menacing creature.

"Jack! Get down!" Jack darted his eyes behind him, he heard Big Boss words, and was about to act when the ground shook and a rush of air hit him hard and thrown him towards the kids, his back covered the children as the powerful force caught the Guardian by surprise.

"Jack looked in front of him; the worm tree was now in front of him. Its gruesome mouth was only an inch away; he could smell the foul rotten breath and this made him scream.

"Oh God!" he yelped as the monster roared at his face, throwing its slimy saliva. Jack sensing his ultimate demise, made his one last move he pointed his staff and attempted to freeze it however he shouted in agony as one of the tentacles of its roots moved and whip his staff away. Jack was weaponless.

He silently cringed to his demise as he only used his back to protect the children, he closed his eyes and wait for the inevitable. The monster growled at them and it wasted no time, it moved forward, mouth open wide and forcefully closed it down. A scream resounded throughout the clearing and Jack opened his eyes in shock, it wasn't his scream.

* * *

"GAAAHHH!" Big Boss scream in pain as the creature's teeth, dig in to his whole right limb.

Jack was horrified, blood was rushing out and some splattered on his face, he shivered. "B—Boss! John!" he called out as the man looked at him and grunted in anguish.

"G-Go! Take them away!" he commanded and Jack, with fearful hesitation, whimpered and carried them all. He gave his one last look at Big Boss, whose eyes were blaring in agony, and ran away.

"God. Fucking. Dammit." Big Boss spasmed to his injuries, the teeth the creature was gnashing through his right limb's muscles. The pain was tormenting as he tried to move it but its teeth only send more agonizing soreness to him, making him grunt and breathed hardly.

He made several attempted to dislodge it however, the creature's seemed to anchor himself to his almost detached right limb.

"Guess I have no choice, again." Then he painstakingly reached for his eyepatch and forcefully remove it, revealing its redness and its blackened sclera, to the world. The power rushed through him and he accepted, his face contorted to an angry one and then he unleashed a menacing roar.

His aura burst into many directions, fiercely. The monster behind him made a sound of panic, its teeth was still in locked on the man's limbs, as it senses his power but then the man punched the monster with a strong force, pushing it away and severing his right limb on the process.

The Monster was thrown away and landed on the ground with the man's arm still in its mouth. It chewed and swallowed the part, hungrily, before it bared its eyes on the man again, for another attack, but then a tremendous force rushed passed it and before it could react, the monster was suddenly thrown upwards into the sky.

* * *

Jack was flying and breathing heavily. It was almost a minute before he left him there, and he could still hear his screams. He only gulped down in nervousness and fright, he imagined the monster slowly cutting the man into several parts before eating him, and it disgust him.

"Bunny!" he exclaimed in gladness, the familiar Guardian of Hope was standing beneath a tree, he looked at him and was startled to see that he was carrying children. Baffled as to what happened, he hopped towards him.

"Oi Jack, what's all this?" he asked inquisitively.

"They're kids, I saw Boss and I think he's in danger!" Bunny was startled as to what he had said. They'd found the new Guardian but it confuses him as to why Jack was in a hurry, he wanted to ask more but after the Guardian of Fun gave the children to him, he quickly ran from where he came from, in a hurry.

 _'Damn I must save him!'_ Jack thought as he flew briskly, his face shows concern and worried to the new Guardian that he wanted to befriend. The memories that he saw about him, he wanted to change it all and this will be his first step.

* * *

Jack had reached the clearing again but he saw nothing. His eyes darted everywhere in agile, looking for a familiar black colors of the man's cloak, he walked for a bit but then he let out a gasp of horror as his eyes landed on a tattered right sleeve of the man's cloak, fear crept to him as he identified it from the man.

"Oh no, Big Boss." Jack worriedly looked around again, the man was nowhere in sight. He let out a sad sigh because he might've arrive too late to save him.

"Where could he be-" and then as it was answer to his question, a loud thud shook the earth again and he was pushed back from the tremendous wind. Jack looked in front of him, and then his eyes sharpened. The monster was on the ground again; it was wiggling its wormy branch vehemently.

' _Not again!'_ He cursed as braced himself but then he heard an ear piercing shout from above.

* * *

Jack looked up and was shocked. Big Boss was up in the air, hovering and blocking the moon. He was relieved that the man was still alive but he was puzzled as the man squirming in midair, he was suffering from tremendous pain. Big Boss was bent and panting up.

And then as Jack observes, the man let out another long anguish howl before his body let out a gruesome crunching noise of his flesh tearing apart. Jack watched in horror as he saw something began to grow and emerge from the man's back.

It was wide and it glinted brightly against the moon's light, hinting that it was made of metal. Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. Big Boss had stopped squirming and moving, and slowly he looked down…and spread his three pairs of large metal-made wings. His wings were enveloped in his blue aura and Jack felt a staggering force emitting from him.

"Big Boss…" He couldn't believe it and was mystified, he silently observed the man as it stared down on the struggling downed creature. The new guardian breathed heavily and then with a speed that Jack couldn't follow with his eyes, the wings of Big Boss fluttered violently and then it extended and shoots downward towards the monster.

The monster roared in pain as the first wing pierced its body and then another and another. The wings of Big Boss move in a rapid motion, it swiftly cut and stabs the creature until there's nothing but whimpers escaping its lips, and then in one final movement, all of the wings moved and pierced the insides of the monster through its open mouth.

Jack watched in awe, as the wings of Big Boss finished its attack. Blood has burst from the monster's wound, it rained in all direction, and some of it smeared his face.

"My God, what the hell is that?" Jack repudiated, the powers of Big Boss were incredible. He stared at him as he landed softly on the grass. Jack then caught his whole figure at such close distance and he was in reverence. The skin of the man had change, it was now all silvery and white and his eyes, both of it had become menacing bloody red.

He wasn't a human anymore to him but something powerful.

* * *

Big Boss didn't notice him; his eyes were on his dead prey. He moved passively towards it, kneeled down to the ground. Hunger was residing inside him, it was growing and growling, at last a meal was in front of him and he didn't waste any time as he immediately dug his hands and took out some of the organs and chewed it in his mouth.

If Jack would vomit right here, he would've done so. The boy was horrified as he saw Big Boss began eating the monster's innards. Whatever he has eaten before, it was now surging up in his stomach. It was entirely gruesome and disgusting.

"B-Big Boss," he called out to him, the man was becoming like a monster to him.

"Boss!" he called out but only the sounds of organs being squished by Big Boss's teeth reverberated. He couldn't take his terrifying appetite and hunger; he was becoming lesser and lesser to what he had thought about him, as a Guardian.

"John!" he called again this time with force and then the man stopped. Jack finally caught his attention, the man was lost in his own hungry endeavor, Jack must give some senses to him.

"Big Boss, I am a Guardian-AH!" Jack yelped as one of the Big Boss's wings moved and wrapped around his neck and was dragged by it at a rapid speed, he yelped again as his back hit a tree where the wing pinned him there.

He struggled for a minute but then when he looked in front of him, Big Boss was already staring right at him, an inches away from his face. He was terrified as he could see his own self staring back at the bloody red eyes of the man.

"Big Boss-!" Jack struggled but the wings are made of strong metal. He couldn't destroy it.

"You… How did you know my real name?" Big Boss began, his tone was angry and scary, as if he came from the depths of hell.

Jack then answered honestly, "It was from Watanuki! The moon chose you to be a Guardian! We came here to fetch you-!" but his answer wasn't well received. Big Boss tightened his wing, choking him brutally.

"You've seen me…" he loomed at him. Big Boss didn't expect him to go back, he shouldn't' have use this form, he had never like it and he deemed that if there're other Guardians, they might consider him as an enemy because of his appearance. And now that he was seen, there's no other choice. "Now I'm going to kill you…" he added as Jack only closed his eyes and frighteningly wait to be destroyed by him.

* * *

"No you will not kill him, stupid shit." David the fox appeared below him and just as Big Boss was about to looked at him, he suddenly enveloped himself with a brown aura and before the man could even react, a powerful energy coming from his inside, burst with a tremendous force.

Jack yelp from the forceful wind and Big Boss was thrown away from the boy, detaching his wing from him. He was thrown several meters away before he landed on the earth, hard, and hit his head on a large rock. Big Boss vision was then enveloped in darkness as he fell unconscious.

Jack was bewildered to what had happened, he was seconds from being killed and now he was staring at nothing. The power earlier was strong enough to knock the man cold, then it puzzled him as to where it came from.

He looked down and saw a little fox. A tiny animal like it wouldn't be the source of that power.

"What on earth was that?" he asked in a relieved yet mystified.

"Just my spell, now where's my thanks young man." Jack sprang up to his feet and looked down at the fox, disbelief. Even though he was a supernatural being, the fox's abilities caught him by surprise.

"Yeah I can speak, now get over it." The fox said arrogantly at the shocked guardian, seeing his reaction he ridiculed him more. "Anyway is it true that you came for Big Boss?"

The question leads Jack back to his senses as he remembered the mission. "Yeah, the moon has called him," the boy observed the fox as it turned away from him and then he noticed his mouth moved and said something inaudible that puzzled him.

"So man in moon is still alive? Hmph, remarkable." David said inaudible as he looked at Big Boss. Big Boss was slowly returning to his older self, his wings started to degrade and disappear as it turned into dust. His skin's complexion has started to grow back to brown and within minutes, Jack and the fox stared down at Big Boss's normal face.

 _'Oh so he looks so peaceful when sleeping,'_ Jack observed, the face of Big Boss was peaceful and calm, contrasting to his other side, a six winged being.

"Ok, now call you friends and carry him," the Fox demanded with authority, making Jack pouted at him, it's been one minute since they met and now he was bossing him around, and that annoyed him a bit.

Jack return his gazed at the sleeping Big Boss, he was so calm and tranquil. "Sorry about this, John." Jack said as he took out the small bag where the thin strings are. The man was dangerous still even though he was still sleeping. Jack Frost would've met him in a nicer way but after seeing what he could do, he began to doubt him as a friendly one. However deep down inside him he was saddened to the treatment that he will do to him.

 _'I understand you Big Boss,'_ he thought with concern as he pushed Big Boss, and took his remaining left limb and put his left hand behind his back. _'But the world needs you.'_ He then began to tie him up _._


	4. An Old friend and the Zoo

Disclaimer: see the first chapter

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

 **North's Workshop – Globe Room**

The hunt for Big Boss was successful and satisfying for North, looking at the globe. His eyes scanned each light, vigilantly. The enemy might make a surprise move that might endanger the children. He began to expect what kind of power Ba'al might possess in order to prepare himself and the others, especially the new Guardian Big Boss.

"North are you even listening?" Bunny complained in an annoyed manner, butting in to his thoughts and disrupting his planning. He turned to him and stared with questioning look making the Guardian of Hope moan in protest. He was clearly wasn't listening to his rant.

"I said, Big Boss can't become a Guardian. I know I'm being pessimistic but you've seen his memory right?" Bunny said in a tired manner but North was taken aback. The moon had chosen the man as a guardian. He would've expected Bunnymund to accept him.

"I know my friend. I've seen his memories." Then another problem sprang into his mind. The memories of Big Boss. He recalled it all and he can only say one thing about it. Tragic. The man was a former mercenary who waged war on the world and tried to conquer it with strange machines and evil contraptions called 'Metal Gear'. As far as he knew, the said technology was also the root of Big Boss's world's problem.

But he was chosen…Manny might've seen something good in him, he thought wildly but a little bit of doubt still resided. The man had become corrupted…because he was played and toyed with by his superiors or leaders, and he even killed his beloved mentor without knowing that he could've saved her, if he'd known what his mission was in the first place.

And then he acquired his mentor's dream, a united world and a country for only soldiers that lived freely away from the fickleness of his world's government. That's where he began to change.

"But Bunny, his dream, it's for the world. He wanted to make his mentor's dream a reality and the people in his world were against him." North said, his tone defensive. Bunny made a few nods, but then he countered.

"All the more reason not to trust him, or make him a guardian. He became corrupted from it, together with his goons, remember?" The Guardian of Hope, moved and looked through the shattered moon. He has seen his world and it was completely hopeless, Big Boss was the proof of it and since he had shown his corrupted side on that world then he could too in this world.

More disasters could come if he becomes a Guardian, so Bunny's answer was simple. "We'll ask Manny to take him back to whatever place he came from after we defeated the new enemy."

North sighed furtively, but Bunny's pessimism about the man was accurate, and staggering.

However hope emerged within North, "Bunny, I believe Big Boss could change. I believe the man was kind, he only lost it to his…foolish noble cause," he cast a gladdened, confident smile at the Guardian of Hope. "We can guide him into his new life. Isn't that wonderful?"

Bunny, again, sighed in a defeated manner. North's optimism was always accurate and precise, and so he didn't counter it. There might indeed be a chance for Big Boss to change, but Bunny only saw a glimpse of the possibility. To him, Big Boss was someone who'd already decided to take a destructive path. Nothing could change his mind.

"Fine, but once he start showing of betrayal," Bunny warned as he took out his boomerang and pointed it to North in a warning manner, "We'll have to…dispose of him by ourselves."

* * *

 **Guest Room**

Jack watched in a concerned manner as Tooth and Sandman began to treat the man's wounds. He stared edgily and saw Big Boss making out small gasps of pain. The man was on the bed, his chest rising heavily, his breathing labored, grunting.

"It's a good thing he's unconscious," Jack uneasily mumbled and looked at the severed right arm, the flesh somehow unnerved him. The guy must be truly in pain right now. But then he also saw in amazement, that the severed right arm of Big Boss was growing and regenerating faster and faster. Such power could only be attained by the stronger guardians.

"Ok, I think he'll live." Tooth said as she smiled in wonder. She was awe struck at the face of the man, and excited to what she would do next. "Ok, let;s remove his jacket first," she said and only got a hard stare from Sandy, suspicious as to what she would do.

"It's for medical purpose Sandy." Jack chuckled at her reasons, but Sandman just sighed, beaten. The tooth fairy proceeded to take the jacket off the man, revealing his toned bare chest and a tattoo imprinted on his skin. Tooth let out a gasp of surprised.

Jack couldn't help it. He blushed red. The man has a striking physique, and he felt both embarrassed and belittled. He shifted his gaze to Tooth and Sandman, but to his surprise both were looking at the man, but not at his amazing body. They were looking, bewildered, at the man's tattoo.

"Is this…" Tooth began as Sandy only nodded strongly. The tattoo on Big Boss's chest was beautiful, a sun was drawn on the upper portion and a moon on the lower, both enclosed in a skull with its jaw opened, and right beside it were six wings that surrounded all of it, drawn with grandeur and grace. It was a striking tattoo, just like his body.

"Well it looks modified, but it was definitely that symbol," Tooth lowered her voice, energetically, Sandman which puzzled Jack.

"What's his tattoo anyway? It makes him look entirely mercenary," Jack said. The tattoo gave anyone who saw it a strong impression of his job before and it looked enigmatic to him.

"Jack, this symbol where the sun and the moon show up together, is a symbol for Seraphim." _Seraphim?_ The term triggered something in Jack's memory, just like Big Boss's tattoo.

"What are Seraphim?" He asked as his curiosity piqued. He hadn't heard this kind of term before and it mystified him. Tooth and Sandy looked at each other and made an astounded smile. The legend of the Seraphim would surely change everything they thought of Big Boss and quell Jack's curiosity very well.

* * *

A rustle of leaves made Big Boss open his eyes. He squinted as a ray of sunlight hit his face and he let out a short groan of irritation as he stared in front of him. The wind that passed through him was cold and chilly; it made him breath hard to produce heat.

 _Where am I…?_ Then his eyes landed on a huge steel cage that looks like a cage for big animals and he began to wonder. Bewildered, he looked to his sides and was confounded. There were rows of cages on both of his sides, different in shapes and sizes, it was very confusing. He was supposed to be in a forest, defeating the monster.

"Am I…in a Zoo?" he turned around, his feet moving. He was indeed in a place like a zoo, but it confused him more. The cages are empty and the metals are rotting apart, it was abandoned zoo, he thought.

"John…" a voice suddenly made him turn sharply behind him; it was male. He darted his eyes up to the face and saw a person who suddenly walked and turned sharply on a walkway. Startled at the appearance he suddenly took off running. He couldn't understand why he would chase him, however the man's voice, it was familiar to him, too familiar and that pushed him to run after him.

 _I know that person…_ a wave of strong reminiscence swept through him. The man was all too familiar to him, and his mind worked hard, trying to remember. He turned around another corner, stopped, as it was a junction, then turned to his left after he heard the man again, calling his name. The sound haunted him.

He ran again and then stopped. He had reached a wide clearing. There was a small placid lagoon in front of him, and right between him and the lagoon was a man wearing a brown coat that fluttered gloomily. Silence loomed over both of them; his mind already filled with questions, like who was this man and why he was so familiar to him?

"I guess calling you by your real name is strange for me eh?" the man began as he slowly turned around and reveal his face to him. Big Boss let out a short gasp of shock, his jaw dropped and his eyes hardened in recognition of the man's white hair, his solemn greyish blue eyes and the long scar on left side of his face.

The feeling of reminiscence reigned strongly in his chest; the man was his friend from his world before.

"Zero…" his voice wavered, his jaw slacked from overwhelming presence of his long friend, Zero.

* * *

"Hello there…Snake, it's been awhile," Zero began, his voice calm and inviting. He smiled as he walked towards Snake. Big Boss stood still, awe and surprise freezing him, his mind in a raging storm of disarray. Memories of Zero played aggressively like a nostalgic movie. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right now, his old friend was here, standing and talking to him.

Zero stopped, stared at his friend and saw his turmoil. Never in his life had he seen Big Boss in this state and he merely chuckled at it.

"Is that how you greet your long lost friend? By staring? Rude," he began in a jocular way, "I'm happy to see you like this…you've grown fat." The man moved closer to him and looked through his eyes. Big Boss eyes hadn't changed, it seemed he was stuck in a repetitive jolt of shock. Zero formed an assuring smile.

"This isn't a nightmare; it's just one of your dreams. I merely inserted myself within it, which reminds me…" Zero looked around in a curious manner, looking through the empty Zoo cages inquiringly, and then he said with enlightenment.

"A zoo, in a dream, symbolizes loss of freedom, and inner chaos within a man." He landed his enlightened eyes at Big Boss and saw that the man's eyes were returning to normal, slowly recovering from his shock.

"So, did you lose your freedom? Is someone controlling you again?" the question reverberated around the room, firm. Zero knew Big Boss dislikes being controlled and he saw something was wrong.

"Let's talk more Snake," he looked to his left and right and saw benches, but all of them were so rotted that they would give in to their weight. He glanced at the lagoon. "Over there, if you wouldn't mind."

Zero turned around and walked away from the recovering Big Boss who gulped. Nostalgia squeezed his soul and brain, the memories of the two of them still playing in his head. He wasn't expecting his old friend to appear. The 'Zoo' world seemed to spin with swirls of Zero's face and the scary cages around him.

"Snake?" Zero called, in a worried manner. Big Boss stared at him with melancholy and longing in his eyes. He gulped down his stunned feelings again, willed himself to move and faced his friend.

* * *

As seconds stretched to minutes, minutes stretched to hours, and hours stretched to eternity, Big Boss only stood in silence as his friend Zero talked and talked about the golden days between them before, his face happy and his tone upbeat as if their lives before were great.

But Big Boss, he only felt bemoaned. Zero was a friend of him back on that world, they were soldiers at arms and he was a colleague of his mentor, he was a recruit at the time and he immediately swore fealty to him, for both of them wanted to serve mankind. However fate was cruel to them both, after his mentor's death, and they both wanted to fulfill her legacy, but Zero had become corrupt.

Driven by greed and a lust for power, Zero had waged war against the world as he tried to unite it with only one single will, forcibly and brutally, and Big Boss was dragged into it. He even degraded Snake a bit when he started cloning him without his knowledge, insisting that he wouldn't live forever, in order to create perfect soldiers.

That was the day Big Boss decided to leave him, and the bad blood between them grew to a staggering rate.

"The world you lived in…it's so peaceful isn't? I envy you my friend, too bad I'm already on the other side." Zero laughed shortly, his voice was calm and solemn, which sent chills to Big Boss's spine.

"Friend…?" Big Boss muttered ruefully. Zero was indeed his friend but he had many sins against him, grave and heavy sins. His memory suddenly flashed on that fateful day where Zero died right after he killed him, back on that cemetery, the sad recollection made his lips tightened as he looked down, in sorrow.

"What's wrong, Snake? You've been awfully silent," Zero asked apprehensively. Big Boss would've talked by now. Something was wrong.

"Zero…did you remember?" Big Boss paused after every word, his voice filled with resentment that cut agonizingly at his throat.

"The day…that I killed you," Zero's face softened but his smile remained, though Big Boss's face screamed shame. "I remember everything. You're my friend, Zero and as a friend I should've talked to you that time, and asked you to stop. I should've faced you instead of running away."

Big Boss couldn't take it anymore, his dark memories was stabbing him like a knife slowly cutting him to pieces. This was guilt, the first time in a long time he felt it again and it was torturous.

"So…why? Why are you retelling our memories like nothing bad has happened there…" he gritted his teeth, the pain of disgrace hitting him hard. His sudden recollection of memory he had about Zero, had made him realize something. He could've saved him and talked it all like a good friend but he didn't. He ran away from him and didn't bother facing him until his death.

"When I killed you that time, I felt longing and pity to you Zero, because…I know that our friendship could turn it all around, but no, I didn't. I chose to turn my back to you and ran." Big Boss then faced his friend, anguish was eating him up as his eyes produced one tear, a tear that Zero saw and felt and understood. The sadness of Big Boss, this was the first time that he had seen it.

*THUD!* Zero then darted his eyes in alarm. He landed his eyes on the Zoo's enclosure cages which began to move. He watched in curiosity as he saw how the cages moved to one another, connecting their rusty metal frames. The cages connected rapidly, it even began to cover the pathway where both of them walked through earlier.

The cages then began to crawl upwards, bending and twisting, the man knew what the cage will become, it's a becoming a dome. He faced Big Boss and again and the man was still in remorse, he couldn't hear the cages painful rusty groan nor feel the overwhelming presence of the rising metal dome.

 _Oh…so that's what's eating him up…_ Zero then smiled at him, he finally understood everything. The zoo represents Big Boss loss of freedom, not from this world but from his guilt that slowly eats him. He straightened up. Time to finished the mission he received from the moon.

Zero's tone then turned dignified. "Snake, do you really want to know what I feel about that time?" Big Boss only stared in grieving silence, unable to answer for he was lost in his own sad thoughts.

"I felt…peace, Snake. Peace. And for a long time I've finally felt it again and it's all thanks to you." Zero said, almost declaring it. During his time before, he had lived in pain after he was infected by some kind of a parasite that an assailant used against him, and Snake's act of killing him had put an end on it. Zero would never forget it. That was the last time Big Boss showed compassion to him.

"So don't brood over it. My friendship to you was born from pure admiration and love. I never feared you; instead I felt that I must protect you. She had seen it and I also saw it too. You're very strong, Snake and the more the man is strong, the more he's vulnerable to anything. And that made me worry about your future." Zero paused as the cages suddenly stopped groaning, stopped building the dome. He'd succeeded with getting to Big Boss's mind.

"Of course, the Boss's legacy, I also wanted it to happen, but…I selfishly prioritized you. I wanted more power so I can protect you from anything…and then before I knew it I became too corrupted and I lost you…I'm sorry my friend." Zero finished with a tranquil smile, his voice calming and made Big Boss wide eyed for a moment.

Big Boss's emotions were now like a zoo, chaotic. He couldn't control them anymore, the words of Zero were too heavy and they started to destroy him. The things that he had thought about him were now crushed by his guilt. Shame had stabbed him again and again and he felt the agony of it.

"Zero…" he muttered, his face was gloom with misery, and then he buried his face in his hands and cried softly in mourning. He shouldn't have left him, he could've changed it all and yet anger drove him and put him in a broken path of despair. And now he could no longer take it back.

* * *

"Hey, hey…" Zero was amused and somehow relieved. Big Boss had understood him, he was regretting everything. For a long time he hadn't seen him like this and that put him in an ease. Big Boss, his friend, had indeed changed in this world.

He slowly put both of his hands on his shoulders, in a friendly manner. "It's all right now, my friend, all is forgiven, everything is over now, that world is gone and you're in a peaceful world." Zero whispered, serenely, soothing Big Boss's aching heart. The man breathed hard, sadness still in his heart. His friend whom he had abandoned was here.

He felt Zero's sincerity and he couldn't fathom it. Zero would've been mad at him, he would've lashed out at him but he didn't. The words that he had said began to sink in finally, so with a strong whiff of air, he understood everything and fell silent. And the grief that he had felt, as fast as it appeared, began to dissolve in his heart.

His muddled mind was then freed from his guilt and Zero knew it, because the cages around him started to crack and fall.

* * *

The cage dome started to moan loudly in protest, and after a second, it began to collapse. Rivets and nails fell and the cages started to detach and break into pieces, slowly decreasing it sheer height, and just like the cages, the dark tall trees that shielded them both from the playful sunny day had also began to collapse, allowing light from the sky to shine brightly at them, and after a minute of reconstruction, Zero began to admire the new scenery of Big Boss's dreams.

The once cage-filled zoo was now a meadow filled with bright flowers. Big Boss was free, from his troubled past between Zero and himself. His mission was a success.

"Snake,"

"Zero…" Big Boss slowly looked at him, and Zero saw that his eyes were now longer grieving. The man that he knew before was slowly coming back.

"Snake, I don't have much time left. The reason why I appeared to you right now is because I was given a mission by the man in moon."

Big Boss was startled by what he said. The man in moon was involved? He wanted to asked more but he sensed the hurriedness of Zero's voice.

"Snake, even though this world is at peace, it's in grave danger. This new enemy that you'll face is stronger than you think. Don't let him overwhelm you with his powers." Zero's face became serious, it was the same face that he gave to Big Boss whenever he was about to embark on a mission.

"You must find new comrades and friends, who will protect you and care for you. Don't be alone this time and forevermore, my friend." The words that he released were sincere and it only begged Big Boss to ask more.

"I don't want to become a guardian, I want to go where you will go, and I wanted to be with everyone now." Big Boss began. He couldn't understand it all, why he was a guardian and what were guardians in the first place, it was all too confusing.

"I don't want to fight anymore. I want to lay down my gun and rest in peace."

"I'm sorry my friend but this is a call of duty, the moon wanted you to protect." Zero said and watched as Big Boss only frowned in irritation. The moon, who revived him, who disturbed his sleep and prevented from him crossing the other side, inspired the old hate in him.

"Now don't frown at him. There's a purpose for everything, you'll soon understand it. And not to mention…" Zero reminded him with authority, sensing the soldier's dismay, and continued, "You're being punished my friend…but not by the moon."

This made Big Boss darted his eyes at him, mystified and startled. The moon would've been the one who could punish him like this, he thought of that before after dreaming 'the Boss's words, but now his mind was jumbled up.

"Goodbye my friend, my time is up." Big Boss startled, completely shifting his attention to him. Zero, just like 'the Boss' in his dream, was starting to disappear. Sadness swept through him and twisted him; he was again all alone in the new world.

"Zero-!" Big Boss tried to reach for him, in a desperate manner, but his friend merely laughed heartily at his actions.

"Don't worry, we will be on the other side. We'll watch you keenly and cheer for you and now that I mention it…" slowly Zero formed a calming, farewell smile to Big Boss, a perfect goodbye for his friend, "Would you kindly show your other cool side? I bet a lot of children would love to fly and even believe in you."

A wave of sorrow slowly swept past Big Boss as he slowly watched in pain as his friend Zero disappeared. Then, slowly, the sorrow changed into a stern look. He suddenly straightened his back and with pride and determination, he saluted to his former friend and soldier, Major Zero.

"I will Zero…I will see this world!" he said out loud, and filled with willpower, he resolved to carry out everything he had he said. Zero saluted him back.

"And by the way, Snake, three ghosts will visit you on your journey. I'm the first one; greet the others with sincerity, okay?" Zero said and Big Boss absorbed it in his mind and answered back like a true soldier.

"I will Zero, I will," and then Major Zero disappear, leaving him with his one last smile and his last remark. "This world needs a Guardian like you."

* * *

 **Guest Room**

"Zero…" Big Boss croaked and gargled, heavily. His consciousness resurfaced as he woke up from the dream that was already far away. He opened his eyes groggily and saw nothing but complete darkness. He looked to his left and right warily, but only darkness greeted him.

Am I blindfolded…? A thought came to him after he felt a soft fabric blocking his eyes and tied around his head. His senses slowly came back and gave him a sensation of thin, string-like, ropes tied around his wrists and his ankles. He was bounded on a chair and this made him grunt annoyingly.

"Shit…I'm captured!" Big Boss clicked his tongue, irritated to his bounded adverse. But by whom…then he asked himself and after a second he remembered the face of that boy Jack Frost and what he said about him and the-

"Guardians…" he miffed and tried to move. The chair where he was bound rolled smoothly, telling him that it has wheels. Amateurs…he only thought arrogantly to the Guardians who captured him.

"Yo B squared, you awake?" Hearing David talking made him feel a bit more at ease. He didn't want to choose now if he felt bad that David was here, and would tease him about his adversity right now, or he was be relieved that he was here and he could free him.

"David, I'm glad you're here…" Big Boss moved his head around, sensing his presence.

"Yeah, whatever," David haughtily said, not worried about Big Boss even one bit.

"Now untie me, let's escape whatever this hell hole is," Big Boss immediately said as David yawned lazily, which made him frown and grit his teeth. The fox seemed bored about his situation and that angered him for he wanted to be freed.

"David!"

"I can't untie it with my teeth, we have to get you a scissor," He sensed David drop to the floor and walk towards him, his little paws making a pit-pattering sound.

"Luckily your chair has wheels. I can open you a door and lead you to it." He wasn't sure if David was sincere since he couldn't see his face to see if he was leering at him or if he was dead serious. But the thin ropes around his hand tightened, uncomfortably, so he clicked his tongue again. He had no choice.

"Alright, lead me to it." As fast as Big Boss commanded him, he heard David jump and heard a door knob moving and the squeaking of a door. He felt nervous. What if the sound was too loud? His captors might hear it and catch him again.

He quickly thrust himself forward as he felt the door open, his bounded feet working tremendously. All of his training back on that world now dictated his movements. With a hard thrust and then a slow thrust, Big Boss worked toward his escape, his senses heightened and giving him a vivid image of a wide, empty corridor.

"Ok…" He silently thrust himself forward more, David in front of him, clearly guiding him, which was a relief. The fox had been as good as his word.

"Ok…David, where am I now," he asked as the fox stopped, halting him as well.

"The corridor ends here. Turn left now, it's the only way." David dictated and Big Boss obediently followed, nodding. He felt freedom was already in his grasp, and he thrust to his left, following David's words, and then he let out a yelp.

"Ahh!" Big Boss felt the rushing of wind as his chair hit the edge of the stairs and his chair fell. He fell down and hit his back, his chest and then finally his head sending a lot of pain up and down his spine. David, who'd guided him the whole way, finally released his laughter and snickered at the fallen man.

"Haha… now that was a good one!" David leered and Big Boss heard him. Anger rose in his head, his murderous desire sky rocketing.

"You son of a bitch! You tricked me!" He scowled in fury, trying to break the thin ropes, but they didn't give an inch. He grunted at his unfortunate situation and his hatred for David the Fox. The fox dropped from the stairs and landed beside him. David giggled, menacingly, at Big Boss and brushed his bushy tail at his face which the man tried to bite just to get back at him.

"Aww, I can't help you B squared," David sneered, feeling relieved now that he was even with Big Boss. "I'll call Jack Frost and the others to help you."

The words he said made Big Boss freeze. He was shock that David was going to call Jack, which would mean one thing. Not only the fox tricked him, he has betrayed him. Those ten years of him and David hunting together, it began to deteriorate and it boiled down to fury, he was being betrayed.

"David…you son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" Big Boss gritted and gnashed his teeth, as David the Fox chuckled. "Stay down Big Boss," he said as he left Big Boss fuming in his own madness towards the fox.

Big Boss, frustrated, tried to move again, straining at his bonds, Bu he sensed that David was gone. All those years of trusting him whenever they were hunting, those days where he could just command him to find him a prey and to tell him to shut up from his pranks, it all began to disappear and was replaced by vengeance.

"God dammit…!" and then suddenly his head began to spin, his fall finally effecting him as his vision began to swirl and slowly his consciousness faded but he caught footsteps approaching.

"Oh no…! Are you alright?" But Big Boss didn't answer, he only growl in frustration. The Voice of Jack Frost rang in his ears and he knew he was caught again. He could only close his eyes and accept whatever happened to him.

* * *

beta-read by : sierra steinbrecher


	5. Big Boss's Deal

Beta-read by : SilverStreaksofStardust

Disclaimer : See first chapter

* * *

Chapter 4

Darkness…it's always the same scene that greeted Big Boss whenever he went through a battle with those 'the things'. He already got used to it and he would never complain anything about it. However today was different. Darkness was still there together with the tight rope that bound his wrist and his foot.

 _God Dammit!_ He cursed mentally to his situation and to David who betrayed him. Years of companionship with him had put him into a furious state, for a long time he hadn't felt the feeling of being betrayed, right now the feeling of betrayal it stabs him painfully like a knife.

"Great…" he murmured as he had made several attempt to untie himself but all of it failed. Then his ears picked up a sound as his consciousness begins to return. His senses heightened up and made him become stern.

He could feel there were, at least, five people, standing in front of him. Five against him.

"Hey there, Big Fella, havin' trouble with the rope?" a husky voice greeted him first and Big Boss identified it as an Australian one.

"Bunny, I don't think it's nice to greet him that way." Then followed by a nice voice of an old man that seems to be full of sweetness, Big Boss silently lowered his head, ears in vigilance for more sounds.

"Heh, whatever," whoever the Australian person was to him, he could feel danger from him, the person move closer to him, "shall I untie him?"

"Oh, please do Bunny," the man with a sweet voice commanded from him, Big Boss could also feel his power. _Who are these people…their powers were top notch…_ Big Boss thought in alertness and then his vision had returned.

His blindfold was removed, with force from his eyes and then he squinted irritably to the sudden brightness of light. And then slowly his eyes gaze on the fireplace, his ears caught the cackling of the fire.

 _Where am I…?_ He thought dazedly and turned his head to his left. And then his eyes widened in shock.

A six-footer rabbit was standing beside him, arms crossed on its furry chest, and its green eyes locked at him intently. For ten years of hunting those monsters, this was the first time that he was so surprised. Slacked- jaw he only sat in silence, but deep inside he was screaming.

 _What…the fuck is that?!_ Startled of his appearance, Big Boss only stared in silence and then his ears caught another sound and which made him slowly turn around, towards the fireplace. There're three people standing on the fireplace.

One was a large man with a huge belly and a long white beard, that seems to be familiar to Big Boss, and then dazedly he moved his sight towards a little man, bathed in pure gold colors with a spiky hair, hovering inches from the ground, he was a bit astonished to his features but still he didn't' utter a single word.

"Okay, where's the new guardian? I'm so excited to meet -!" Big Boss darted upwards, and was again slightly taken aback, a little humanoid on a shape of a Hummingbird buzzed pass above him and landed on the group, she was—it was a woman to Big Boss however her features had severely startled him that he let out a short gasp.

"Oh my…" he uttered finally, and immediately the Hummingbird Lady hovered towards him.

"Oh my, hello there BB, we heard so much about you!" The humming bird lady immediately rattled excitedly, "and your teeth!" and then several of her tiny fairies came suddenly appeared and buzzed behind her, startling him again.

"Oh my God…" Big Boss finally uttered one sentence; the sight in front of him was unbelievable. Strange creatures that were, even though he hated the thought of it, just like him. Jack Frost was there, standing happily with a welcoming grin, and hovered towards him.

"Big Boss, welcome to North's workshop this is where we, Guardians, live." _Guardians?_ A sudden flashback and recollection happened in Big Boss's mind. All those years of exploring the world and hunting those monsters, he, not even once, hadn't encountered one like them. Guardians might've been already extinct and his resurrection as one made him think that he might be the first one, however the thought was wrong.

"Guardians…?" Big Boss whispered heavily, with resentment, his surprised state was soon clouded by enmity. The moon's act of degradation of resurrecting him and now using him, had come back like a painful reminder, and just as he hated the moon, he resented the Guardians; they're nothing but puppets to the heavenly-hellish being above.

"Is there something wrong, BB?" Jack suddenly asked as he sensed a strong force emitting from within. The Guardians, too, suddenly become vigilant as they all sense a dark force brewing inside him.

"Face it, Jack, he wouldn't like us since he think of only himself," Bunny said in a hardened manner, while his right hand clutch tightly on his boomerang behind him.

 _So that's where the Australian accent came from, huh…_ Big Boss stared at Bunny with hard eyes after what he said about him.

"You speak like you know me…Rabbit," He began in a warning tone and the Rabbit Guardian scoffed at him.

"Yeah, we know _a lot about you_." Big Boss mind began to work, the Guardians had known him but how, was the question running in his mind. They could be watching over him all throughout the years. However he was utterly confuse, the Rabbit's claim had gave him a feeling that they knew a lot about his life and he didn't like it, he felt exposed to the enemy, this would be hard.

"Do not think further, John," a voice made him darted his eyes towards the dark corner of the room and then he clicked his tongue in disappointment. Watanuki Kimihiro, the man that he had met 10 years ago and he wished that he wouldn't cross path with him anymore, slowly emerged like a fantastic being he was from the darkened corner of the room.

"Tch…con man," Big Boss uttered in bitterness as Watanuki smiled; to him it's a leer, at him. His hands were crossed on his chest covered by his red traditional Japanese shirt and white pants, David the fox was sitting pleasantly on his arms and his eyes leered at Big Boss who frowned at him.

"David…reminded me to rip you apart after this, traitor," Big Boss said to David in order to spite fear in him but the fox merely chuckled.

"John, David didn't betray you, I simply asked him to lead you to the Guardians." Big Boss shot a glare at Watanuki, the fox whom he thought he could trust, wasn't loyal to him but to the estrange shop attendant, that made grimaced. His hunches were right: he shouldn't have trusted the fox at all.

"Where am I anyway?" he asked as he slowly lessened his anger, but keenly. His eyes became observant after he opened them; he was some kind of a room that was cozy and warm. There were chairs on the far side corner of the room and stuffed of trophy animals that were plastered on the walls.

"You're in North Pole my lad, the greatest place in earth!" the fat old man greeted happily opening his arms as if showing how beautiful this room or the place that he'd mentioned. Big Boss was slightly startled, as far as he could remember he was on the forest back on Germany, now he was thousands away from it.

"What am I doing here?"

"The man in the moon has finally decided that you're ready to become a Guardian, John." Big Boss was now completely surprise but he didn't showed it to them. The man in the moon, that he thought was killed many years ago, was the one who called me here, he was still alive and he had watched over him all throughout the years.

He rumbled and then he growled. "Impossible, I destroyed his moon…how can he survive that?"

The Guardians let out a gasped of shock, one of the mystery that they were rummaging about, was now solved and the culprit was sitting an inches away from them. Jack stared in half amazement and terrified, he and the guardians had finally realized how powerful the man really was.

"See North! I told you he can't become one, he's the one who freaking destroyed the moon!" Bunny vehemently declared to North who only stared in disbelief at Big Boss. The old Guardian of wonder thought rapidly as to what he said but then he smiled.

"And he called you here just to become a Guardian, to be one of us. BB, The Moon has forgiven your sins."

"I don't need his forgiveness," Big Boss answered coldly at the older Guardian. As far as he knew, Big Boss missed his target, and for ten years he was watched by him, this might be his counter movement against him. "I don't want to become a Guardian, I am not his pawn!" he scowled at the Guardians as he began fighting the restraints. _What's with this rope, God fucking dammit!_

He cursed mentally, as the rope began to tighten to uncomfortable way and stopping the blood flow in his hands.

"That rope is made from thousands of pure spider silk, the strongest silk ever, struggle forever, it will never break." Watanuki fixed his glass; his tone grew cold and informative. "A perfect tool for capturing your kind."

Big Boss, not only that he possessed super speed but also an amazing strength, had a weakness for spider silk. He only discovered it when he encountered a spider monster many years ago. It shoots thread of web silk and entraps him, but David the fox was the one who released him and during that time he owed him largely.

Big Boss frowned, a grimace that he was telling the truth. This would mean that Watanuki has been watching him all throughout the years, too.

"Yeah…keep on struggling; you'll never break free from it," Bunny began as he towered smugly over Big Boss who return him a dark gaze as Watanuki Kimihiro approached him to his behind, a knife glinted in his right hand, "you either have to listen to us or you just -"

*RIP* A sound of a rope that was slashed by a knife reverberated throughout the room, making all of them stood still in dead silence. Watanuki pulled the broken rope out of Big Boss's hands, untying him from his chair, making everyone gasped in shock. The man on the chair didn't understand what he was doing; he stared at the man questioningly.

* * *

"What're you doing?"

"Releasing you, of course," Watanuki simply replied, confusing him more, but he formed a plan of escape immediately in his mind.

"You know I can kill all of you right here in one blow," Big Boss began as he stood up, a grin forming in his face. The Guardians, except for North, suddenly became alert and held onto their weapons, ready to tackle him again. They were utterly confuse to what Watanuki did.

"Oi, mate! Why did you freed him?!" Bunny, panic running across his face, hopped immediately away from Big Boss. The Guardian of Wishes and Dimensions fixed his glass and faced Big Boss again with a smiling face.

"You may fight us, or even kill us, but you would never know why you're here and why did the moon ever called you. You will also betray Zero's last parting words and you will be stuck here forever in this world. You may also destroy this world, if you want to, but I guarantee that you would suffer a fate that is even worse than death," Watanuki declared, unnerve to the dangerous presence of Big Boss.

Jack, who was watching the whole ordeal, was astounded to the calmness of the Dimensional Warlock. He sensed his power unwavering and then he also notice that the dangerous aura that Big Boss was producing earlier was now diminishing quickly. _Did he hit a nerve?_ He thought as he observed Big Boss.

' _You must find new comrades and friends, who will protect you and care for you'_ the words of Zero suddenly echoed evocatively and clearly. The words of the shop attendant has struck him, Zero's last words, he began to remember them all and as if the words were like a drill, it began to stick more and more in him. He stared down dolefully and diminishes his anger.

 _Zero…just what the hell…_ he didn't want to turn his back again to his friend, he then slowly glance at the Guardians. The group before him, they could be the one that Zero told him to look for. The enemy that he also mentioned rang on his mind, he wasn't sure of what will happen but for sake of surviving in this world, he must heed his warning and his advice. He sighed dejectedly.

 _I guess I don't have a choice hmm…_ if Zero was watching him right now, he would've given him thumbs up to this dreadful decision that he'd make.

"Hmph…fine, you got me," Big Boss said, with enmity as the Guardians relaxed. "Just what the hell do you want from me?" he ejected the question seriously to North who cleared his throat.

"As you know, BB, you're now a Guardian. There're other Guardians in this world. This is E. Aster Bunnymund, aka the Easter Bunny; he's the Guardian of Hope," North began as he moved to the moody rabbit earlier and Big Boss only looked at him, half amused and speculating to the furry creature.

"E. Aster Bunnymund...Easter Bunny?" he ponderingly said, as the rabbit scoffed.

"Yeah, got any problem with that mate?" Bunny in his thick accent, gaining his confidence, leered at him with a taunting grin.

"No, I just eat rabbits like you for snack, back in my world," Big Boss simply said and smirked as he saw Bunny moved his ears downward in shock and terrified. As far as he felt for him, he didn't like him, his accent was too annoying.

North continued, although somewhat disturbed to what he said, "And this is Tooth - she's a Tooth fairy, and the Guardian of Good Memories -"

"And also Good teeth, I watch everyone's teeth 24/7 without fail." Tooth suddenly zoomed in to Big Boss, who jerked back. The Tooth fairy loomed over his face with excited eyes, despite the taunting aura that he was giving off she was completely in ignoring it.

 _This girl…would be eaten alive._ Big Boss sighed to her excitement. "Ok then, so - _AGH_!" However he suddenly jolted forward after Tooth yanked him to her face by his jaw and pry open his mouth and began to inspect his canines furiously and lively.

"Oh my gosh…! Your teeth are just as handsome as your face, but I can detect nicotine which would mean you're smoking,"

"Wha -?! Gwet yaw hahd ofv me -!" Big Boss tried to speak, and moved away but the Tooth fairy's grip was strong as a metal gear.

"Tooth! Big Boss is getting nervous," North said as the Tooth fairy hovered away realizing her outburst.

"Oh sorry, your teeth, by the way, are composed of a lot of metallic minerals other than calcium…it seems made of metal." Big Boss moved away from her, clutching his jaw and made a distasteful look.

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Dentist Lady."

"And you've met Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun." Jack waved at him with energy and smiled but the man only return a plain gaze of disinterest. The first Guardian that he'd met, he felt something that he didn't like as he looked through his crystal clear blue eyes just like him. _The boy looks weak…_ he only commented mentally, and looked away.

"And then to Sandman, the Guardian of Good Dreams…" North moved and pointed to Sandman who welcomed him with a big smile. Big Boss, because of how little he was compared to his sheer height, looked down and stared in an inquisitive manner at the little Golden Guardian and didn't responded.

"Oh, good dreams, huh, I thought you were a gremlin." Sandy, who was startled to what he said, retreated his smile and made a sad face, offended to what Big Boss said to him; he knew he was far from those little monsters and yet the man merely said it like it was the truth.

Big Boss noticed his reaction and it was just of a child, he felt a bit of guilt but he moved on.

"And what are you anyway?" he asked North who let out a loud chuckle, as if finally he noticed him for a long time.

"Why, I am North, also known as Santa Clause and I am the Guardian of Wonders." North, the Guardian of Wonders, said proudly and watched as Big Boss jaw slack in pure surprise. Santa Clause, if Big Boss was asked on what he believed during his childhood it would be Santa Clause, he didn't know why but he believed in him even when he reached a prime age of adulthood and during that time his belief in him grew strong after NORRAD, back in his world, decided to track down Santa.

"Wait…Santa Clause," he took a step back in bewilderment, "you mean you're _the Santa Clause,"_ his eyes became wide to the revelation and his face lax in astonishment. The old man continued smiling, he was telling the truth, a wave of nostalgia arrived in his mind and Big Boss couldn't' do anything except to chuckle to his own memory that seemed to make him laugh.

"Oh god…I never thought you're real, I mean back in my world, you might be the only thing that is peaceful," Big Boss said with a smile spreading in his lips, a peaceful one and that made everyone become confuse, they didn't expect the man to smile like that.

"Oh, then my image is good, inter-dimensional speaking."

"Yeah, I believe in you, you might be the only _thing_ that reminds of my childhood." Confounded Big Boss lowered his hostility and then asked, "So…you're a Guardian, I never thought you'll be one. Just what the hell are Guardians? And why was _I_ chosen?"

A smile formed in North's face after he saw the curiosity in Big Boss eyes, he could see also, although faint, a child within him. The memories that he had seen about the man played vividly, he understood now why The Man in the Moon had chosen him.

"I'll show you, BB, if you would walk with me." Big Boss stared at his eyes and saw how honest and truthful his invitation was, he didn't detect any danger or threat. The man's intention was clearly to converse with him only.

"Lead the way, then."

* * *

 **Globe Room**

The noise of North's workshop reverberated, lively throughout the whole Globe room where the Guardians walked in.

"We're so glad that you came here immediately after we caught him, Watanuki-san," Bunny whispered discreetly to the Guardian of Wishes and Dimensions as they both walk, trailing behind North and Big Boss, who were engaging in discussion.

"I stick to my own plan, Bunnymund, not to mention it's important for me to see John here, in his Guardianship," Watanuki said informatively. He was the one who devised the plan on capturing Big Boss back on the forest, He orchestrated it carefully, for it was a mission that the Man in the Moon gave to him, and also he was a bit perfectionist, he has to make sure that everything will go according to what he foresees, which was, as of now, Big Boss's Guardianship.

A few meters in front of them, Big Boss looked everywhere, bedazzled. North said this place was a toy workshop, but it was factory to him. He saw many toys being produced on the floors below them, however was puzzled. Santa Clause, the one that he knew, usually had tiny elves who was his workhouse on building toys. In this factory, however, he saw the workers were huge, hairy, strange creatures.

"What're those?"

"Yetis, B Boss, Yetis, and they're my workhorse." Big Boss glance at him, perturb. If North doesn't use the elves where could they be, the questions was then answered after Big Boss look to his right as they passed through a table where he saw tiny elves, clothed in pointed things that he couldn't describe, playing and procrastinating with the Christmas lights and a huge of cookies.

"Okay, that explains a lot," Big Boss perplex said and continue walking only to stopped again. The huge globe loomed and hummed ominously at him, its sheer size had amazed the man. Big Boss whistled in appraisal. With the sheer size of the globe, the room he was in must be serving as a control room for the guardians. He observed in awe at the lights scattered around the surface.

"Whoa…that's a huge globe, it reminded me of the CIA's war rooms," he said impressively.

"Yeah, impressive, no?" North said as he settled down and observed Big Boss, still looking at the immense globe. The man was a strong guardian, that was what he saw on him and he looked ready and so he wasted no time.

"All right, lad, now that you like our place, it's time for you to be a Guardian!" North announced frantically, and waved his hands to the air. Big Boss turned around, confused, and was about to asked when the whole room exploded with trumpet sounds and small fireworks that lit up the ceiling. He watched in dazed as some little elves and yetis walked in, blowing trumpets and throwing confetti.

Big Boss observed and saw the Guardians, excluding the strange Australian rabbit, were all smiling and welcoming him. Why they were doing this, he didn't even say yes to them.

"Hey…" he called but North didn't hear him because of the noise, he was opening a large book.

"Hey," he called again but no one seemed to hear him; all of them are concentrated on him being a guardian rather than what he wanted to say. His right brow twitch in irate and so was his power that began to crawl out of his right eye.

Then without hindrance, he yanked his eye patch out of his face, releasing the power from within him, and unleashed a powerful wind after his wings burst out from his back.

North and the others, yelp on the impact of the wind as some of them were pushed back and thrown. Some of yetis and the little elves shriek completely surprise that they were being clashed against by a forceful wind.

* * *

Eventually, the wind died down and the Guardians stared in surprise, in front and saw Big Boss and his wings, in full glory, some of the yetis gasped in awe and fright. The man menacingly stared at them all and spoke.

"Did you hear me say yes to that one, huh? Not to mention I will not become a Guardian under the whim of that lunar satellite being." He nudged his head towards the shattered moon, above him, on the sky.

Silence loomed on the Guardians, understanding what he said and then North chuckle to his outburst of anger. "Everyone wants to be a Guardian B Boss, not to mention the called you since he needed you to save the world, now music my friends, music!" the music suddenly resumed and this made Big Boss frown. He didn't like what North had said to him, he will never like it.

He moved and flex all of his wings and then with a violent force, creating a forceful gust of wind again, throwing some of the elves and yetis again and scattering thousands of feathers that came from his wings. Once again the music was abrupt.

"No fucking music! One more blow on those trumpets, I'll kill you all!" Big Boss threatened, his tone was heavy and devilish like, his face was now a contrast to his earlier curious one, the Guardians saw all of his darkness in his eyes.

The Yetis and the little elves sighed, defeated, and one by one they dispersed away from him, they just wanted to give him a good music. North stared at him, not with irate, but with pity. He saw, but just a glimpse, of the man's loneliness despite how hardened his eyes were of anger and toughness.

"See, North, he can't become a Guardian. Look at him," Bunny began explaining as Big Boss cast a dark glare at him, "he's a monster and you've seen his memory, right? You saw how he treated those children who just survived an attack; he planned to turn them into a child soldier, just to build his stupid 'world'!"

Bunny finished as Big Boss only stood silence, acknowledging all of his words. His memory activated and played that part and it was all true.

"But Bunny, it can be considered -"

"There's no consideration! That man is also known as the man who sold the world! He doesn't care if anyone gets hurt; heck I think he didn't even the feeling of being loved. He's a monster without a heart, a soul and a conscience, and certainly, innocence."

The word rang and buried deeply into Big Boss mind, he absorbed and understood it all. Ever since he was a child, well as long as he could remember, he was always on the battlefield. Fighting, shooting guns, and throwing grenades like it's nothing but toys. He didn't even remember why he was there, and he never questioned it, he simply adapt through it and now the rabbit was declaring him a monster, he found it funny.

"Hahaha…" he chuckled; a slow and somehow ominous laughter escaped his lips, "monster? Yeah, that's what I am, that's how I was in my world." He began, the words tickled him deeply and yet somehow, it felt depressing for him.

"I was born in a war, raised in war, molded by war. The bullets I fired or whizzed passed my ears, are my music, and yes…I don't care much about people not unless they're useful to me," Big Boss explained as his wings fluttered and he floated.

"You've seen my life, no? And now this leads me to ask you all, what is a Guardian? Why was I chosen, and why the hell would I walk on that path?"

The Guardian stood silence as Big Boss blocked the moon with his glorious wings that casted terrifying shadows onto the room. They wanted to tell him all, but would it do well on him, they were not sure.

"The moon chose you, B Boss, because he had seen greatness in you -"

"No, he had seen me as a weapon, a tool. Everyone would see me as a weapon; I am nothing but a weapon. I am not human!" The memories of him flashed brightly in his mind, all of the painful events that had happened in his life, played melancholically. The people in his world had indeed used him as a weapon, he didn't see himself as a human anymore even in this world too.

"So don't give me that bullshit, and face a certain fact here," he continued as his red right eye looked down at them, like he was ridiculing all of them.

"You're being controlled aimlessly here; the moon is nothing but those people in my world, selfish and cruel. I fought them head on and I became successful."

"But you've fallen!" Jack suddenly shouted. The Guardian of Fun could no longer take his words, he had seen his life and he saw it differently than him. "And the Man in the Moon was saddened by your wrong-doing so he gave you a second life, so you can redeem yourself and have a good life."

And then everything happened in a flash, Big Boss who was just hovering above them had suddenly appeared in a blink of an eye, in front of Jack Frost, his eyes leveled the boy and he stare frighteningly right into his soul. His words are like daggers it pierced him and he didn't like it.

"Interesting, as if he gives a fuck about me, but he isn't I'm sure of it. And again you didn't answer my questions…so this is your last chance." Big Boss beamed on him, his fuse was already burnt out and Jack could feel it that he could snap his neck any moment but he didn't fear him.

"B Boss, Guardians are beings who protect and give hopes, dreams and peace to the children of the earth, and the reason why you're chosen is because, even though it's a little bit naïve, you still have kindness in your heart and I can sense it, no everyone can sense it." Jack paused and saw Big Boss eyes began to softened; it seems his words were starting seep in his mind.

"Not to mention, in your memory, you're once called the Man Who Sold the World, I don't know why but if you can do the most impossible things in your world, then you could also do it in this world, such as saving it." Jack thought amazingly to Big Boss, the man was awesome to him, but he's only troubled by something heavy. And then out of the blue, he uttered.

" _This world need you Big Boss, this world need a Guardian like you."_ The voice of his beloved mentor echoed solemnly within him, instead of the boy's, it made him softened his eyes more and closed his lips.

* * *

If the Boss was watching him right now, would she like what he was doing? To see him crashing and lashing like a child right now? Her image started to form in his mind and he'd expected what will her reaction be, frowning, disappointment and, most probably, anger. She was certainly will never expect him to show this kind of rough attitude to others who in dire need of help since she didn't thought him that.

 _Shit…_ turmoil grew inside him, his bitterness to the moon or to duty that he will, and must, take. Which one would he chose to ponder and walked on, those things were now ravaging inside his mind.

"Whatever you've decided, I guess you know what will happen in both scenarios, John." He darted his irate eyes, at Watanuki who was stroking David's neck gently. He couldn't help but dislike him more because of his power on reading minds of others.

 _Fuck off, will you?_ he threatened mentally to spat the shop attendant and he saw him made a smile and move away from him. He thought again and again, remembering Zero's words and this his Boss's last word's…which was now becoming clear to him that it was her last order to him.

"Fine," Big Boss muttered, defeated at Jack whose face began to form a victorious smile. The man dubiously looked away from him.

 _Finally he bended down!_ Jack thought happily and continued to persuade him. "B Boss, with that -"

"HOWEVER -!" Big Boss thundered suddenly and before anyone could react, he disappeared without a trace. The Guardians were startled to what happened and darted their eyes everywhere, looking for the familiar new Guardian.

"Right here, Guardians." They then eventually laid their eyes towards the globe and saw Big Boss standing below it with a smug grin plastered on his face…and what seemed to be an intercontinental nuclear missile on his right hand. The Guardians yelped; they knew it was a nuclear bomb and it was dangerous for all of them.

"Heh, May I ask one more question…what are those lights on the globe?" he asked plainly as North answered him.

"Those lights represent children who believed in us, all of the children who believed in the guardians actually." Big Boss listened intently and then slowly he made another smile, and it made everyone gulped in nervousness. The children who believed in the Guardians, Big Boss thought about it and then he formed a plan in his mind.

He wasn't planning to be with them, he will only lend his power to them on this mission, and that was it so the plan that was forming in his mind was perfect for him.

"There's a submarine patrolling here nearby, I snuck onboard and stole it from the missile room, As you can see here, I possess some abilities such as super speed, I will only lend my power to you, but that was it.." he paused and then moved the missile and balanced it in his right index finger dangerously making everyone gulped and wince in fright, "and I also have super strength so I am not that cheap." Big Boss dictated and then started playing the nuclear missile like it's nothing but a toy.

The Guardians made a questioning looked at him, they were unable to comprehend what Big Boss was talking about, and they know his powers already.

"Just what're you saying…and please stop playing with that nuclear warhead -" Bunny's sentence was cut when he shouted in terror as Big Boss dropped the missile and the object hit the floor with a loud thud. Big Boss then faced them with a serious face and pointed his right index finger at them with authority.

"I am saying you must _hire_ me!" he shouted, demand.

* * *

"Hire you?!" Bunny was the first one to react after the Guardians become frozen to his demand. They began to absorb his request. The man was a mercenary, as far as they could remember, and a good one. It seems his request was seemed to be the right thing for him to say.

"Why the hell would we hire you?! This isn't just normal war."

"And I am not a normal mercenary, am I right?" Big Boss countered and eyed Jack, remembering his remark about him. He observed everyone sternly, including North who was stroking his white beard, contemplating his words. He continued.

"Anyways, according to WHO, they're at least 10,956,476,099 people leaving in earth. Children were only at 4,888,234,123. I counted the lights on the globe already. And there're 4,888,234,123 children who believed in all of you." Big Boss dictated, he silently walked towards the shadow of the globe, eyes still on the guardians and observing their reactions.

Jack stared at him, amazed and in awe, that he already counted the lights on the globe. But then a sinking feeling began to tighten in his chest. _Could it be…Big Boss is suggesting…!_ He gulped down to the idea of Big Boss's payment; he didn't like it and the others, too, they wouldn't.

"Simple, since this for saving the world anyway, you must _pay me handsomely_." Big Boss stopped and casted his stringent eyes at North who was listening intently. "You will pay me...no, you will give me… _4 billion believers_."

Big Boss finished and his demanding words reverberated to the Guardians. They were silent at first, absorbing his words, and then they broke into pandemonium.

The whole globe room was in tumult as the Guardians, except for North who was stroking his beard thinking deeply, rattled at the demands of Big Boss who was standing on the shadow of the globe. Bunny was retorting, Tooth was explaining rapidly while Sandman was keep on creating sand images that the man couldn't even understand.

Jack, however, was booming at him; he was the one who was deeply affected.

"B Boss, you can't be serious about this. Those are living children and they're not bargaining chips!" Jack disagreed to Big Boss; to the man it was as if the children were nothing but coins to be exchange.

"And they're in danger to the impossible enemy right? Look kid, I', already _lending_ myself for you here," Big Boss simply said, in a businesslike manner.

"Yeah, as a selfish mercenary, no wonder you're all meant to be expendables," Bunny commented bitterly making the man cast a glare at him. Ever since he laid his eyes on that oversize Australian rabbit, he disliked every bit of him. He was so annoying, his accent especially.

"And B Boss, I think it's impossible for us to give you that plenty, not to mention, not everyone within those billion would believe in you forever," Tooth explained more. It was true that not everyone would believe in the guardians forever, but Big Boss only smirk at her.

"I know. But you would all give me still."

The Guardians stopped their bickering and only stared back at him. The man's demand stood still and they do not know anymore how to convince him that it would be impossible. They looked at each other in a defeated manner.

 _Yeah…you need me, that's my demand._ Big Boss stared at them with plain eyes. They were giving in and that was good, he expected them to do so for he knows that they were desperate to defeat the new enemy and they would do anything even to give up some of their pride and dignity. Just like those people who wanted his deadly skills before.

* * *

"Alright…we give in; we'll grant your demand." Jack was the first to say it, his tone was downed and his face etched downward in pressed sadness. His eyes were closed and didn't' see Big Boss who made a smirk of satisfaction.

"Good boy, Jack," Big Boss said, in gratifying manner, he moved to him and put his right hand on his fluffy white hair, petting him. He had given in; Big Boss expected that he was the first to give in, for he looked weak. "Now that the first one has agreed what about all of you -"

"HOWEVER!" Jack Frost suddenly shouted, a blast of cold wind forcibly rushed from his staff and made Big Boss grunt and jolted his hand away from him. Jack Frost then pointed his staff at him.

He had agreed on his terms however he found it very unfair, so he planned to set up a condition and since he knows that Big Boss will certainly deny it, he also made a one final plan.

"I will impose three conditions to you, if you really want those 4 billion believers." Big Boss stared hard at him. The tone of his voice was hard and sincere, he didn't detect any fear. He was amused but it wasn't enough to impress him.

" _Conditions?_ You're in a wrong place to give me that Frost kid," he said haughtily at him.

"And you're in a wrong place to asked something like that too, so I will make a proposal to you." Jack smiled at him and it was a challenging one. He swung his staff, provokingly, and then declared with energy. "Big Boss I challenge you into a duel."

The Guardians gasped in shock after they heard Jack's challenge but then their attention diverted to Big Boss who let out a laugh. Big Boss had enough, for a long time someone had challenge him, but right now he couldn't say no to him. It has been a long time that he didn't have a real fight and today he will receive one, from the lanky and weak Jack Frost.

"Are you serious, kid?" Big Boss made a scary grin, excitedly. "Well then…you're going to regret it." He hadn't expected this, and that made him feel more alive, finally he can unleash his power at full force.

Jack however didn't give in to his grin; he stood proudly and spoke more. "If I win, you'll follow the conditions that I will give to you. And If I lose…we will work and give you 4 billion believers without any strings attach."

Big Boss laughed mentally, not to mock but he was utterly impressed. Such bold deals and statement, he had like those kind of scenarios because he always wins. Jack Frost will lose and he already knew it due to his appearance.

"Fine…I like that. So…" Big Boss dug his left hand on his left pocket and took out a cigarette pack. He took out one and flicked his fingers on his right hand. A flame pops out on the tip of his right index and he lighted his cigarette. "When do we start?"


	6. Big Boss vs Jack Frost

Chapter 5

* * *

 **Globe Room**

In the Globe room, after the heavy meeting and unfair dealings of Big Boss had ended, North and the Guardians were cowering around Jack in nervousness and trepidation. The duel that will take place soon, will determine the fate of the world and the Guardians and their believers was on the line.

"Why did you even challenge him into a duel? I mean, it doesn't change anything, we'll still give him what he demands," Bunny insisted as to what kind of deal Jack created against Big Boss.

The Winter Sprite only made a confident smile. "Bunny, I think Big Boss really wanted a believer. He's just too shy to tell us that." His answer only made Bunny feel worse: What he said didn't help to quell his fear.

However, North chuckled at Jack. He had liked what he said; it gave him a vivid image of Big Boss, being a shy type person and also he thought of that too.

"Well then, Jack, give your best shot," North said, supporting him which boosted Jack's spirit. The Guardian of Fun felt enlighten and strong at the same time.

"Anyway what condition are you going to impose on him?" Tooth suddenly butted in, together with Sandy, both were looking inquisitively at Jack and eager to know his plan.

"Well, it's simple …" Jack then called everyone to move closer and so they did, and then he began to explain in a secretive manner away from Big Boss, who was with Watanuki, standing over the globe.

* * *

Big Boss stared with a still face, but his eyes were shining in interest at the lights that were showing on the surface of the globe. He was thinking what are the children were expecting to the Guardian, and how their beliefs affect everything. Curiosity reigned supremely for the world he was in was completely bizarre.

 _If I got more of them…maybe it's enough._ The plan rolled in his mind, and he thought that it was foolproof. The Man in the Moon's, days are numbered according to him. Denouncing and overthrowing him would be the perfect comeback and revenge since, according to the Guardians, it only rely its overwhelming existence on the belief of children.

"Overthrowing powerful people…it's your specialty, am I right, Big Boss?" Watanuki, standing below him, asked in curiosity, he stroked David by his right hand. The man looked down on him.

"Yeah, that's why I have _tactical espionage_ on my job description before," Big Boss recalled nostalgically, his job before. He had done a lot of works that involves ousting powerful people and the Man in the Moon was no different to him. He can do it to him and he was sure of it.

"Heh, can you overthrow him? As far as I know, you were once ousted too you know." David smirked at him, leering his teeth at Big Boss who shot a menacing look to him. That painful memory of him suddenly flashed in his mind. It made his head felt heavy and so he retorted with a groan.

"Remind me to kill you."

"Sure thing, if you remind me to laugh at you. After I see you, face-down on the snow, defeated and bickering over Jack's victory." He mentally clicked his tongue. He will never like the fox again; he was so annoying and sinister and especially, secretive as if he was hiding a dark secret that could kill him any moment.

"Hey! B Boss." His anger diminished as he shifted his eyes to Jack who stood beside Watanuki. His frown was soon replace by his plain face as he saw the boy's smiling face, telling him that he was all ready for the challenge. "I'm ready, how about you?"

Big Boss then landed softly on the floor, in front of him, and then he made a half smile, which was more like a leer, mocking the smile of Jack Frost. "Always ready." He was ready to defeat the boy, as far as he could recall he never back down to any challenges in his life.

* * *

 **Outside North's Workshop – Glacier Mountain**

Outside North's workshop, several meters away, was a huge Glacier that stood proudly against the cold harsh wind of North Pole. It's sheer height almost made it looked like a mountain. This was the place of the battle and North knew it was a perfect one for this was also the place where he practice his sword skills before.

"Nice place you have here, North," Big Boss commented in appraisal, his voice echoed through the glacier, as he took out both of his silver guns, cocking and preparing it to fire at Jack. Jack however was jumping, stretching and…somersaulting, readying himself. Bunny and the rest of the guardians only sighed in nervous disappointment.

It's clear as day that Jack was weaker than Big Boss, who had lot a of fighting and combat skills that was embedded on his mind.

"Yeah I'm already!" Jack roared energetically, already prepared for the fight. "Say, what's the mechanics of this fight?"

Big Boss turned to him and, seeing how the boy was fired for action, stared wickedly. He will not kill the boy, obviously; however Watanuki didn't say anything about _hurting_ and _embarrassing_ the other. A wicked objective formed placidly in his mind.

 _Hmph well then,_ "How about this, we're allowed to punch each other's guts but if you touched my neck, it will be my defeat. And that rule also applies to me, if I touch you neck... then you lose," Big Boss dictated, the simple mechanics of the duel. He didn't want to waste time with him more, he knows he can defeat him. He then slid his guns back to his holsters on his back, startling Jack.

"You're not going to fight with you weapons?" Jack asked in a curious manner.

"I don't shoot at kids not unless they shoot me first." It was on his experience, he had never shot a kid before or boys who had the same age as Jack Frost, as far as his memory was serving. The Guardian of Fun didn't asked more and flew forward and landed several meters away from him and faced his back at the huge glacier behind him.

He pointed his staff at him and smiled. Other than challenging him, he was also excited to see and feel the powers of Big Boss. "Okay, I'm ready."

North - after observing the two, are indeed ready - cleared his throat. Nervous to the outcome of the duel, he took a deep breath and announced, "Alright, lads! This is a one round battle, on your mark! Ready… Fight!" and then Big Boss suddenly disappeared and the next thing that the Guardians did was coughed loudly, the whole place was suddenly enveloped by thick dusts of snow.

"What the -!" Jack who became alert, swiftly stomped his staffed at the snow, and grunted heavily, as he was suddenly pushed by a very, godly force. The clouds of snow then diminished and he gasped in shock. Big Boss was already in front of him, and his right fist was on his staff, he had tried to punch him in one go, but Jack had stopped in the nick of time.

 _Incredible!_ He amazingly revered, the force was amazing but it wasn't much glorious.

"Well… that was an 'okay' punch," Jack simply, smiling at his lucky escape but Big Boss chuckled, mockingly.

"I wasn't aiming my fist to you _Jacky_ boy…" Big Boss said, belittling him, and looked to the glacier behind him. Jack was confused, he looked behind him, wondering what he was aiming at, and then his smile disappeared.

The mountainous glacier behind him was now showing a hole that was not there before. Then it dawned on him, Big Boss's punch had created it, the awesome power of the man had merely grazed him. He shivered internally in horror as he slowly faced Big Boss, whose eyes were plain but sinister.

 _I'm telling you…you can't defeat me in that state._ Big Boss thought mentally as Jack immediately reacted and summoned a forceful cold wind, which he took boldly. It wasn't strong like he had expected, it merely pushed him away. Unfazed, he observed him. Jack was weak, he could feel a little bit of power out of him so from the very beginning, and he will only ask him nicely to surrender quietly.

* * *

"Now you know how powerful I am, you still want to continue," he asked, hiding his mocking tone, and crossed his arms over his leather jacket, and waited for his response. The boy must be rattled in fear by now, although it's a little bit, he felt sorry for him, he had experienced the worst near death experience ever.

Silence, Jack Frost didn't move, he was frozen on his spot, gripping tightly on his staff which turn his knuckles whiter than his pale skin. _He loses it…_ Big Boss declared his win. He sighed in disappointment as he took out his cigarette from his pocket, lit it up on his lips using his right finger and faced him again, only to be puzzled.

Jack Frost…was smiling. It was a polite and innocent one; the man wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. Eyes narrowed and locked on, he cautiously watched as the boy slowly approached him. The smile, he found it very suspicious, more than David's and he didn't like it.

"The hell you doing, kid?" he asked carefully, in a warning tone.

"Nothing, just here to tell you…" Jack smiled widened before his eyes became stern and then swiftly swung his staff catching Big Boss's feet with its end, and forcibly tripping him, off guard "you lose…" he muttered cordially.

Big Boss was shock but he didn't show it, instead he immediately reacted. "Heh…really? I don't think so!" and while in the air, he moved his wings apace, towards the snow covered ground. _I can't use my speed if I do not produce a hard thrust_ his mind worked speedily and analyze. Since Jack has surprised him, then his defeat would also be a surprise for the boy.

 _But that's why I have wings!_ His wings will thrust him forward, towards Jack, with both of his feet pointing at the boy's. The impact of his force, combine with his weight, would knock the boy cold.

 _Now!_ He thought victoriously and with an agile movement, his wings extended towards the ground but before it could touch the snow, the ground suddenly opened up into a round hole. _What the -!_ His eyes widened in shock, he didn't expect this, he didn't know where it came from, he panicked for he was going to fall completely into the hole.

"Shit -!" but before he finish his reaction, the hole closed up and his back eventually landed on the soft snow and Jack immediately charged at him. The boy landed hard on his chest and pressed his right index finger on the man's neck. And the duel was over, Jack Frost had won.

* * *

Silence was first thing that Big Boss met as his eyes looked straight towards the sky, staring in disbelief. The feeling of losing against someone, for a long time he hadn't felt it so he had completely forgotten about it, but now it was slowly…no…arriving in a faster speed and begun to weighed on his chest.

A rustle of snow approached him and then David the fox appeared, a smile was drawn on its mouth and he was leering, teasingly, at him.

"Now…this is the part where I throw my head back and laugh!" and then David began to laughed heartily as if Big Boss was a clown who just had suffered a failed and embarrassing funny act.

First was disbelief was present and then finally, rushly shifting, his anger bloomed in and twisted his mind.

"HOLD ON!" Big Boss shouted and immediately stood up from the snow. He faced the Guardians who were busily celebrating in happiness for Jack's victory. He wouldn't accept it, he had a cheat, the hole that appeared, one of them might have the power to create one and he failed to notice it.

"This…is unfair!" he shouted, thwarting at them with an angry look, "you cheated Jack! I don't accept cheaters!" his face scowled and his brow furrowed to the center and his right red eye was flashing in furiously.

Jack faced him with a serious face first and then slowly he smiled, as if he was acknowledging what he said. "No I didn't' but you see you never said that an outside help isn't allowed nor forbidden. The rules that you said was 'whoever touch the neck part would win'…and that's all." Jack dictated honestly to him and this made Big Boss bit his lower lip. That was indeed the _only_ rule that he imposed…and he was right.

"But - but who -" high tempered still, he darted in acrimony as to who made the appearing and disappearing hole and the Easter Rabbit hopped beside him and smiled smugly and with pride he said.

"Don't mean to brag, that's my power, and it's a rabbit hole." Big Boss eyed him with ire. His explanation made sense, as the overwhelming realization began to dawn at him,. He loose against them, and it was all thanks to the rules that he imposed. He never intended to fight Jack seriously because he looked so _weak_ but now another fact had slammed right on his face. He wasn't weak and he underestimated him.

The memory of him, underestimating people, rushed back towards him and he realize that some of his past mistakes was caused by that particular attitude of his. He gritted his teeth, frustrated. History had repeated itself and it repeated scornfully to Big Boss.

"Tch…shit…" he cussed in enmity and then with resentment, he nodded his head. "I…lose…" those words made his throat ran dry. The Guardians however rejoice again, to the cold defeat of Big Boss. The man had now accepted what had happened, they'd finally have the upper hand on him.

Their triumphant voices echoed deeply to the sulking man. Big Boss stared at them, gloomily, but then his mind slowly relaxed and began to absorbed what had happened. Internally, he concluded that he was in his own fault. Thrashing around would just make him more ridiculous. Watanuki also noticed his resolve, he slowly crept beside him and said.

"Glad you know how to accept sportsmanship, John. I'm sure _she_ will be gladdened that you accepted it." Big Boss mentally clicked his tongue, glowering at him, and faced him.

"Whatsoever, con man…" and then he directed his eyes towards David who was still giggling, and teetering to his demise, earning him a scowl look. "David by the way, will go with you." Then David's triumphant sneering, crashed down immediately, to Watanuki, he protested immediately.

"Hey! This isn't what - _ah_!" David yelp as the shop attendant tossed him carefully to Big Boss, who then tossed him with force back on the snow ground, a smile spread in the mercenary's face while he pops his knuckles. Finally a sweet revenge will soon befall on David the fox.

* * *

After the battle, as the Guardians settled in back on the workshop and were about to start planning for the next move, Big Boss immediately excused himself from the group. Since he was going to stay with them for awhile, he thought of one thing that he had miss the most in his life. A bath and he definitely needed one.

North had gave him the permission to use the bathroom in his study and the mercenary happily used it and, ironically, asked Jack to be his errand boy. Jack, oblige, followed with a quipped smile and now the Guardian of Fun was sitting on a chair, tending over Big Boss's newly cleaned black cloak and jacket and pants. A tired sigh escape his lips.

"Well, he's our teammate now." Accepting the man right now, he only waited for him and played some music in his mind but then his eyes landed eventually to the shiny metal gun that was in the holster near the cleaned clothes. His interest suddenly piqued up, curious to the gun, he approached it and took both of it out.

"Whoa…they're pretty heavy." Jack in amazement, remembered how Big Boss used it without ease, the gun was nothing like a light weight damning device in his hands and that made him thought of him more, _I wonder…if he ever wished not to hold any of these anymore._

He observed more, inspecting the gun's beautiful symbol and words engraved on its hilt. _Outer Heaven…?_ Jack was now so curious, the words were the name of the place that Big Boss had built and that place was a haven for freewill soldiers. _I wonder…if that's what he really wants…_ he thought again after he recalled the tragic memories of Big Boss, damping his mood.

"What're you doing?" the door of the bathroom opened suddenly, and the mercenary walked out. His eyes landed immediately to Jack and his guns on his hand, he frowned and asked seriously. The boy might fire that gun and injured himself and will make an annoying fuss about it.

"I was just -" Jack was cut to his apologetic tone as his eyes suddenly widened. Big Boss was only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, his striking physique body was expose to the cold air along with his scars. A long story of war unfolded in front of him, telling Jack that the man was always in a fight.

"My eyes are up here," Big Boss said coldly, noticing Jack was staring right into his abs intently, it weirded him out.

"Never mind, what're you doing here anyway?"

Jack moved and tried not to look back on his muscles, blushing red, and shifted to the task that North gave him, he was supposed to give him a welcome present, one that Big Boss might greatly relate.

"Well I was here to give you this." Jack took out from his jacket pocket, an object, and showed it with pride to the man whose eyes are still, unsurprised to whatever it was. It was a Matroyshka doll and it has a smiling caricature kiddie version of Big Boss's face painted on its surface. The man raises his right brow, scrutinizing the object.

"It's a doll,"

"Yup."

"And? What does it do?" Not finding it curious, he merely asked disinterested as he took it to his hands, wearily.

 _Ok here's the fun part…_ Jack smile grew wide as he was about to do the same thing that North had done in the past and that was finding ones 'center'. "It tells you what we think about you and that you're…" the man observed the first one and saw the smiling face of him and he answered.

"Bright yet Ignorant?"

'Yeah now go on." Jack agreeing with him, as the man opened the doll up and revealed another smile of him, this time it was drawn in a brutal sneer.

"Calm yet Brutal?"

"Yes but you're also, Calm and Compassionate, yet Violent and Passionate," he opened the succeeding doll which was getting smaller and smaller. All of it were drawn showing him all sorts of his own expression; smiling, frowning, gnashing and above all deceitful.

Big Boss was now getting impress, the doll somehow matched his entire attitude,

"Okay…what about this one, _hmm_?" he asked as he took out the third to the last doll and showed it to Jack who said, "Charismatic yet Deceitful," and then the second one, "Loyal yet Doubtful."

Now it was accurate, the man was beginning to be amused of the doll. _Interesting…_ said mentally and after he unscrewed the second, the last doll dropped and rolled to his hand and it confuses him. It doesn't have any color or his caricature face, it was clean and blank.

"It doesn't have any color…why?" he was peculiar to the toy, questioning its blankness and the Guardian of Fun's smile had slowly become a solemn one.

"That…is your 'center' your purpose in life. Who are you really and what's your purpose now as a Guardian?" Big Boss stared at him, not enlighten to his words but with seriousness, he had understood the boy, the toy was a representation of his self-existence.

He only stare in contemplation, his mind ran a thousand questions as to what will happen next. Will he truly be a guardian or something else, he didn't know it and he has no idea about his future.

"Heh, well this is assuring, I don't even know what had become of me," Big Boss muttered. His life played melancholically and it created a nauseous twirl in his chest, his corrupted life unfolded painfully, reminding him that he could become something worse than before.

Jack had understood what he had meant, the man was lost in this world and had only known nothing but war, he gulped down as he made a determined decision. "You're a Serpahim, do you know what that is?" the man only made an intrusive look as the Guardian of Fun then began to tell him about the creatures called 'Seraphim'.

Big Boss listened intently, Seraphim's are creatures created by God, there purpose in life was to guard all of his creations against the evil that lurks in the dark, they prey and eat the evil ones without mercy but they're caring and loving for the innocents. Big Boss listened to his words and as he absorbed it, he began to scrutinize and ridicule it.

Serpahim, are basically angels, why would he become one when his life was filled with sins, it was absurd that God will turn him into one, unless _He's_ punishing him. that solved one mystery, that someone had punished him to become like this and its none other than God, Himself.

 _Hmph…now that sounds plausible…_ he thought. Jack had finished his explanation. He looked at him and thought. He had learned what he had become but he didn't explained what weakness that Seraphim's have.

An enemy, which Zero and the Boss had warned him about, sounds strong and powerful, he wanted to be sure of his survival so he needed a little bit of protection. The Guardians could protect him, if they know some of his weakness, so he decided to tell it all to Jack first.

"Jack Frost, wasn't it?" Jack nodded to him as he proceeded. "Jack, I understand what you've said…and now since you've helped me knowing what I am, I might as well tell you my other weakness." With a small jerk in his back, he summoned his wings making the boy smile in appraisal, then he bended the right upper wing closer to his front and then suddenly Big Boss yanked with tremendous force enough to rip it out.

"Nngrrk!" he groaned in pain as Jack was completely shock in horror. The rip wing fell and dissolve on the floor and the man's consciousness began to spin, his knees buckled and swayed.

"Ah! B Boss!" Jack quickly grabbed him by his shoulders, making him swayed towards him, and much to his surprise. Big Boss was incredibly heavy that he toppled over him to the floor.

 _Oh gosh!_ Jack, the horror of the ripped wing was completely gone, suddenly blushed in blood red. He could feel Big Boss's ailing breath in his neck, the heat from his toned muscles passing through his jacket sending a strange sensation that he had never felt before, Jack tried to dismiss it as he heard groan of agony escaping from the man.

"B Boss -"

"It's…one of my weakness," Big Boss began infirmly with pain still trailing everywhere in his body, "if one of my wings are ripped, my strength and speed will be cut in half. I discovered it five years ago." He remembered it very well, the first time he discovered his weakness, and it was painful. He was attacked by a huge 'the Thing' bear which made a lot of attacks on him.

It was a memorable one.

"So then…since we're a team, _temporarily,_ we've to watch each other's back." It was one of the best options that Big Boss have, in order to survive and do the last mission from 'the Boss', he'll only tolerate their childishness for he knew his good at keeping his patience.

Jack had understood him, he smiled. The man was already asking the Guardians, indirectly through him, to work with him. He was slowly opening up and that was a good sign of an everlasting friendship with him.

"Okay, I understand…now about the three conditions that I would like to impose on you," Jack added and Big Boss clicked his tongue in annoyance as he almost forgotten about it, still toppled over him, he looked straight at him intently.

"Go then."

"First Condition: You must change your diet, do not eat those monsters anymore." Big Boss eyes, from intently, had darkened. He expected something childish but was too intense. Although he never like eating those monsters, their flesh had a positive effect on him, it was the main source of his nutrition.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, bitterly protesting, but Jack austerely stared back, unyielding to him. He only frowned hard, "…and what's the next one?"

"Second Condition: Learn to respect everyone, since we're your team mates now, you must treat us like one." Big Boss listened, absorbing his condition, and didn't reacted. It was tolerable and he would only waste his time.

"And?"

"The Third Condition: You must learn how to smile, innocently," Jack dictated and watched as Big Boss's eyes change into a disagreeing one. All throughout his life, he had rarely, smiled in an innocent way and if he does it would around the people that he had trust the most.

 _Great…_ after seeing how sincere Jack was, he sighed heavily, in defeat. He had agreed before on his condition and he never backed down to any deal, he'll only endure it all for the sake of this mission.

"Fine, I agree with all of your terms," Big Boss said truthfully and just as he had agreed with his conditions, the door suddenly burst opened and the two darted immediately at the Guardian of Hope and Good Memories and both were almost out of breath.

* * *

"Jack, BB, there's -" Bunny began but he paused as his green eyes widened at the sight of the two on the floor, Big Boss was still on top of Jack, the man was naked with only a loose towel hanging on his waist. The sight was very disturbing.

"Oh - my -!"

"Oh deary!" Tooth however jolted in, making the Rabbit Guardian darted away, face red and in flames. Tooth was reacting opposite, her lovely eyes widened in interest and somewhat, happiness, at the sight of the two.

"Oh Jack…" Jack was confounded to her reaction but then he suddenly realize why, he and Big Boss were still in an awkward position and this made him panic as his face turned red as a ripe tomato. He dashed away and said.

"No Tooth, it wasn't what you think -!" he shouted but Tooth only chuckled vehemently, her face was still exploding in red.

Big Boss stood up and looked at them judgingly. Clearly they're truly an odd bunch and that made him wonder about his future fate. _Well, I guess I don't have any choice…_ he thought lowly and began to accept his current situation.

"So what're you all panicking about," He butted in as Tooth suddenly cleared his throat, and returned to her normal self and then she worriedly reported.

"There's trouble in my place! We all have to go but…" Jack immediately returned to his normal state and became alert. Someone was attacking Tooth's palace and they must defend it immediately.

"Let's go then, what are we waiting for?!" Jack rallied but Big Boss asked again.

"But what, Tooth?" Bunnymund however, recovering from the embarrassing reaction, entered and said in a grave tone.

"My place, the Warden, is also under attack!"

* * *

Beta-read by SilverStreaksofStardust

Disclaimer : See prologue

Good morning! Finally updated enjoy reading! Don't hesitate to leave reviews! XD


	7. The Sons of Big Boss

Beta-read by SilverStreaksofStardust

Disclaimer : See Prologue Chapter

Woo-Hoo Finally Updated! Leave some reviews please and suggestions too!

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

"Well then, which place shall we go, _hmm_?" Big Boss asked as he took out his gun, cocking it both before putting it back on his holster.

The Guardians descended onto the garage, where the sleigh of North was put. Yetis and some elves were busy preparing for the launch and Big Boss watched them all, in wonderment.

"That would be a difficult choice," North stroked his beard, thinking, as he got out of the lift. Big Boss looked around, still observing, "but I guess we have to split. BB, Bunny and Jack while me, Tooth and Sandy."

He swing both of his swords, readily and excitedly and then pointed both almost slashing his face with it, "We will protect Tooth's palace while you and your group will protect Bunny's warden. Is it fine with you, Big Boss?"

"Yeah it's fine..." _I wonder how we get there, though -_ a loud thud paused his thoughts as he watched a large gate open. And then his eyes widened in bewilderment, eight pairs of large deer galloped and pulled a large sleigh on their backs.

 _Oh so he really uses a sleigh…_ Big Boss thought in admiration and was about to jump aboard on it, _Hmph I wonder how it feel s-_

"Oi, where ya goin' mate?" Bunny tapped him coldly, stopping him from boarding. Big Boss gave him a cold look.

"Boarding."

"Yeah, but we're not going to go there with that," Bunny smugly smirked as Big Boss made a confuse frown with a mix of disappointment. Jack observantly watched and he saw how Big Boss made an envious look as Tooth and Sandy and North boarded the sleigh.

"Aw…" David began as he looked up and seeing his reaction, he leered, "wanna ride the kiddie ride B squared? Too bad! We're gonna - HEY!" Watanuki Kimihiro suddenly swooped down and grabbed the fox by the back of its neck and put it calmly at Big Boss right breast coat pocket.

"Wha — what the hell!?"

"Now David, you're going to support John, no questions." David revoltingly stared at Watanuki as Big Boss smirk down at him.

"Yeah, you'll be stuck with me, whether you like it or not, you're my _Un Compagnon_." Big Boss smiled wickedly making David clicked his tongue in disgust.

"Well then North, I'll be going to my shop, as much as I want to join, I cannot, I mustn't." Watanuki bowed apologetically as North only shrugged and laughed and accepted his apology. Big Boss however looked at him with suspicious eyes.

"And why not?" he asked.

"Because it's in my duty-no, _title,_ not to take any sides."

 _So a bystander huh, typical_ _conman_. Big Boss scrutinized him as North forcefully move the reigns of his sleigh and the deer suddenly move forward.

"We'll rendezvous at Bunny's warden! Fight till you win Big B!" North said as his sleigh shoots forward in a faster speed.

"I don't plan on loosing." _B_ _ecause I'm sure I'll face death if I'm defeated_ , Big Boss thought and watched in heavy appetent.

 _Oh…he must've wanted to ride Santa's sleigh_ , Jack thought observantly. Big Boss might've wanted to ride the sleigh badly since North, the Santa Clause, was his only remnant of his, surprisingly, childhood.

Jack then cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "Okay, let's go. Big Boss the warden is a beautiful place, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!" he said happily and with an inviting smile which he replied with a stern questioning gaze.

"What's Bunny's Island of Warden anyway, how the hell can we get there?" he asked, annoyed.

"Heh, wanna know?" Bunny smirked mischievously at him earning him a glare from the mercenary.

"Yeah Rabbit I wanna -" Big Boss, before he could fully reply to the Guardian of Hope, yelp together with David as Bunny tap the floor and summoning a large rabbit hole enough to swallow him and Jack.

"OH SHIT -!" Big Boss and David synchronously screamed in fright as they slide down on the rabbit hole. Bunny then followed after he bowed down to Watanuki who only smiled at him.

" _Have a safe trip,"_ Watanuki said merrily and peered down the rabbit hole and as the rabbit hole closed, his face returned to a serious one as he fixed his glasses, "now this is where your test of resolve will start _John Doe_ , be careful -"

* * *

" _Woo-hoo_!" Jack screamed in fun as he slides down the rabbit hole. "I told you Big Boss! It's fun!" He glanced to the man behind him.

"Shit! Fuck! Agh! Holly -!" the Mercenary however wasn't enjoying the slide. Instead of sliding, he rolled passed Jack who was astounded to his posture. The man was rolling and hit many rocks which caused a lot of annoying pain.

"B Squared! Slide! Slide! Not _roll_!" David in an angry protest was feeling sick as he all see was nothing but swirling scene.

"Almost there!" Bunny reminded them as Big Boss, still rolling, passed him. He only sighed and ignored, the man will be alright anyway after this.

* * *

Big Boss was yelping as he was still rolling down the hole when an exit opened up. He immediately shoot out and landed hard on a soft earth. He breathed hard, tired from all screaming that he had done and tried to stand up.

"Ha…ok now that's one hell of a -" he was cut off as he let out a grunt after Jack Frost landed on his back followed by Bunny who used pressed his hind paws on the back of Big Boss, pressing him hard on the soft earth.

"Landed, now Big Boss, isn't it fun!"

"Yes Jack…" Big Boss coughed, spitting some grass and dirt, "… _it was so fun…_ " and replied sarcastically.

He stood up and then ejected David out of his coat pocket, earning him some scowl from the fox; he looked around and was impress. The whole place was quiet and serene, luscious green grass and forest trees.

 _I thought there'll be chicken coups since he was the Easter Bunny?_ He thought uncertainly.

"Let's go, I can sense something in dangerous in here," Bunny said urgently, shifting the mercenary's focus back on the mission. All three of them charged towards the depth of the forest.

* * *

 _This is a good place,_ Big Boss thought in marvel as he and the Guardians stood on an edge of a pond, looking over a waterfall.

 _Where's the attack…this place is so clean,_ Big Boss observed vigilantly, eyeing the trees around him, his ears heightened to the rustle of the leaves. "Can you sense it, Rabbit?"

Bunnymund however didn't respond, he was looking in a hurried manner on the ground.

"What's the matter now?" Big Boss asked as Bunny faced with a panic face.

"We should've seen one of my eggs by now but…I didn't see, not even one!" he shouted and hopped towards a bush which he opened forcefully.

 _Egg…?_ Big Boss wondered as Jack Frost landed beside him. "Bunny's right, where are all the eggs?" Jack added as his eyes searched for some familiar glints of rounded shape egg.

Big Boss was about to ask when his ears heard a rustle of leaves being stepped on. He glanced to his right and then to David the fox below him.

"David."

"6 o'clock, angulation perfect 45 degrees," David dictated making the man smiled. _Guess I really do need you, hmm…_ and with that, Big Boss draw both of his guns, spun around hurriedly and fired two blue bullets.

The bullets traveled towards the top left of the waterfalls and Big Boss watched it with hardened eyes as it collided with something invisible, causing a bright dark red spark to fill the whole place.

Bunny and Jack jolted to Big Boss as the man shouted to whoever was standing on top of it. "You better show yourself."

The other two then eyed the top with alertness. Now they could sense whoever it was the enemy was standing there.

Then after a moment of silence, they'll heard a devilish laugh. They all readied their weapons, as a dark red like mist suddenly appeared and spun wildly on the top before it disappeared. A man no, a stranger was now standing and looking down at them.

* * *

The being was wearing a dark red pants, it doesn't have an upper clothing so it was showing it well toned physique, but the most frightening feature that it possessed was its six wings attached on its back and the four horns protruding over its jet black hair.

It then bared its red eyes at them before it spoke.

"So you've sensed me…as expected from the man who sold the world," He cackled and then stared at the blue eyes of Big Boss.

 _This man…he knows me…?_ Big Boss thought placidly, staring hard at the demon, "Who are you? It seems that you know me very well."

The demon smiled at him and answered. "Oh I know you very well, in fact you're quite famous back in my place…I am Ba'al, the Guardian of Pride, arch devil, 1st prince of Hell. At you service." He sneered a chuckle as Big Boss shrugged.

"Figures." He thought, Hell was probably the place where he could be 'famous' right now.

"Why are you doing this anyway? You came to the wrong territory, demon!" Bunny shouted angrily at him, as the demon shifted his red eyes to him.

"That was rude…demons are low class, I am an Arch devil. And I am here…to full fill a _wager._ " _Wager?_ Big Boss thought curiously but the devil then raised both of his hands in the air and emitted a dark red aura that surrounds his body.

"Now then, since all of you have gathered here, are you all up for some little game…?" Ba'al then release a powerful warm wind that made the Guardians go to defensive, the devil then flicked his right hand and shoot a red lightning on the pond in front of them.

* * *

 _What's he doing!?_ Big Boss watched and then slowly he became astounded. A creature began to form on the surface, it has a large hard shell-like structure on its back. It's skin was all shiny but black and it has red eyes and sharp beak of a bird, but it wasn't an avian animal. It was an eight legged turtle.

"What the hell…" Bunny shivered in the fright full sight, muttered in.

 _So powerful,_ Jack thought and observe as Big Boss keenly inspect the creature.

"That…looks like a turtle, and one of those 'The Things'."

"No shit, B squared," David the Fox snorted as he jumped out of coat pocket.

"So then what will you all do?" the fox asked as the Mercenary smiled and said, "Kill it." And then as if it was a que, the turtle roared to life and charged towards them, splashing through the water.

* * *

The Guardians quickly jumped and spread in the air, avoiding the charging turtle, breaking trees and damaging the ground. "What now?!" Jack asked as Bunny landed on a tree and quickly threw his boomerangs at the creature.

"We attack it in all sides!" Bunny shouted and jumped to a higher branch, catching and launching his boomerangs again. Big Boss, looking over from a tree branch, had watched the boomerangs bounce back from the turtle's shell earlier.

 _It's metal…_ he thought as he launched to the air, summoned his wings and fired both of his guns. The bullets bounce back, creating sparks of blue and dark red. He flew up and swoop down and attempted to barraged it with bullets.

"It ricocheted…well, then -" the turtle then made a loud noise that made him stop. _Now what is it doing now?_ He thought vigilantly as the turtle released a burst of red light and then suddenly, its shell opened up several holes…ejected a barrage of metallic tentacles with talon blades-like on its end.

"Shit!" Big Boss cursed as he avoided barely, one of the tentacle blade. He flew up but some of its tentacles followed and tried to slash his wings.

"Oh no!" Jack, flying on the opposite direction, averted his ascent and plummeted suddenly, avoiding a tentacle.

He pointed his staff and produced a lightning of ice freezing and one of Bunny's boomerang flew and slashed the frozen part, shattering it on the process.

"You all right, Frostbite!" Bunny asked as Jack nodded. "Yeah!"

 _So it's freezable hmm._ Big Boss witnessed the whole attack, a plan then formed in his mind. "Jack, I have a plan!" he shouted, banked to the left and then to right, avoiding two sharp tentacles. Jack quickly darted to him.

"Let's lead him to the pond now!" Big Boss dictated and them swoop down again and flew passed the turtle. The turtle then turn, breaking trees and creating small craters as it suddenly thrusted forward and began following its prey.

* * *

 _Yeah that's it, follow me,_ Big Boss thought victoriously as the turtle then entered the pond, splashing through the water and then it thrust itself forward, creating huge waves in the pond. He got what he was waiting for, he immediately commanded.

"Jack, freeze the pond now!" Jack, watching the events unfolding, smiled. He got what Big Boss was planning so with a spun of his staff, he waved a tremendous force.

"Alright, here comes a milkshake!" Jack casted a strong cold wind onto the pond and then immediately, ice began to enveloped the surface. The Turtle felt the power, it attempted to jumped away, but it was too late. The ice climbed on its back and eventually the whole monster was covered and then its red glow on its eyes disappeared as it took its last breath.

"Now go, Jack!" Big Boss commanded and then yanked his eye patch, activating the power on his red eye which crawled throughout his body. The gun on his hands burst in red aura as he pointed it at the creature.

 _Take this…_ and then he pressed both trigger. His guns let out a bright red sparkle and then shoot a torrent of red colored bullets. The bullets then hail and shattered the ice, also breaking the hard shell of the turtle, some organs were splattered, bathing the frozen pond into red until the bullets rain stop.

* * *

Big Boss, both eyes are now red, slowly landed on the surface. Its eyes glued on the splattered innards, hungrily.

Jack landed on the frozen surface and immediately he noticed Big Boss stillness and the interest of his eyes. He quickly darted his eyes for the whereabouts of his eyepatch and immediately found it on the bank, he flew and picked it up and then flew back and landed in front of him and then gently reminded him.

"BB…remember the conditions I set to you…" Big Boss red eyes slowly shift at him, looking directly to his blue eyes, and then after a dark, dangerous minute, he took the eye patch and wielded it on his right eye.

His power and then his wings slowly disappear and his left eye return to normal blue one.

"I do remember it…" he said and let out a nervous sigh. _As if it was so easy to forget an appetite…_ he thought painfully.

And then a mocking laughter echoed throughout the forest.

* * *

"Oh well if this isn't so nice." Ba'al, still standing from the same spot, beamed his red eyes on them. "I was expecting something bloody but…" he moved his upper wings and leered at Big Boss, "you disappoint me…I expect more."

Clicking his tongue mentally from annoyance, Big Boss then asked. "What wager are you going to fulfill? And is it connected to me?" he pointed his right gun at Ba'al and demanded more, "Because I could feel that it is, somehow, all connected to me."

"Heh…" Ba'al snickered mischievously, "of course it was and since you perplexed me today, I might give you a sneak peek to the answer." He raised both of his hands, glowing in red again and then, a pair of swirls of red mist appeared beside him and then two men appeared and stood still like statues.

 _Who are those two?_ Jack and Bunny wondered and observed them. The man on the right of Ba'al, has a medium height and normal physique, he has fair blonde shoulder length hair that seemed contrast to his gray cloak and pants.

The other one was a large built man with gray hair with a n eyepatch on his left eye, he was also wearing a similar clothing but both of them had distinct feature, blue eyes and their faces almost look like -

 _They look like Big Boss…_ Jack thought in curiosity and then glance at Big Boss only to be startled. The mercenary's mouth was opened, shaking lightly in terror, and his left eye was widened in recognizing but mostly, horror.

"I—It can't—be!" Big Boss's memory suddenly activated as he recognize the two. It was like his own memory was also telling him, how horrible they were and who were they in his life. He only knew them once but he never again wanted to know what had happened to them.

"Why…why!? For-for all the people -!" he closed his eyes, agonizingly, denying them both.

Ba'al seeing his shook up expression laughed maniacally, successfully hitting a nerve in him. "Oh why? Why? Why? - Shall I answer you that?" he hovered his eyes towards the other two clueless guardians, who were both looking at Big Boss. "Guardians! Meet…the _Les Enfants Terrible."_

Ba'al took the two by his arms, locking them both in a group hug, like they were about to perform a delightful show of terror and madness. "Also known as…THE SONS OF BIG BOSS!"


	8. EVA and the island

Beta-read by SilverStreakofStardust

Disclaimer: See prologue

This is the latest chapter special thanks to my beta-reader. Please leave some reviews!

* * *

Chapter 7

Big Boss was silent; he only stared in shock and confusion at three, unable to comprehend what just happened. The two men ... he knew their names. Solidius Snake and the other one was Liquid Snake ... and they were both created out of him.

He gulped down, uneasily.

"Oh, Big Boss ... or should I say John Doe?" he slowly shifted his perturbed eyes to the Arch devil. "Aren't you going to greet your sons? You're so heartless if you do not." And the devil laughed heartily at that.

Big Boss's mind was scrambled to thousands of pieces, disturbed still, and then slowly he calmed his mind and his shock was soon replaced and covered by anger.

"You ..." he muttered heatedly, "you're going to regret this." His hands tightened around his guns vehemently, "Now die!" he pointed immediately and pressed the trigger. The Arch devil then acted and flicked his right fingers swiftly, summoning a red force field, blocking his bullets.

The mercenary then roared and summoned his wings. He flew up at a rapid speed and then suddenly descended towards the three.

"Wait, B Boss!" Jack watching and after noticing a slight movement from the two men, shouted but Big Boss continued his crash dive, determined to end them all.

However, in a flash the man with the blond hair raised his left fist and then suddenly, a slimy-liquid metal enveloped and morphed it into one gigantic hammer. The man then swung it tremendously and smacked Big Boss, throwing him towards a rock on the falls.

Big Boss grunted in pain as he fell towards the shallow pond. He cringed in agony as he tried to move his bloody injured wings to propel him upwards. "I'm going to kill you—! For disturbing their—!" his shouts were cut after the man on the left suddenly threw his grey coat to the air.

His coat fleetly morphed into a silvery armor that attached to the man's large body and then a part of it transformed into a pair of tentacles with claws on its end, which emerged from his back. The tentacle thrust downward, crawling like a snake, and then its claws hit Big Boss right on his face.

The mercenary yelped as the claws pinned him beneath the surface and then the tentacles begin to punch him. Big Boss only groan underneath, the pain twisted his mind agonizingly.

Then after a second, the tentacles stopped its movement and move upwards then fall rapidly, both was aimed to Big Boss's neck.

* * *

"George, stop it please." Ba'al, sensing Big Boss's defeat, whispered to the large man, he snickered and hurriedly moved his left hand and stopped a boomerang that flew from Bunny's, who threw it at him, hand.

"Nice secret attack, but I didn't fall for it. Eli, please return this to him." The man on his right took it from his hand and then forcefully flew it towards Bunny. The rabbit caught it and stared at them, hostilely.

"B Boss!" Jack worriedly flew and dive into the water and raised the injured and unconscious man. The saddening face of Jack frost made the devil chuckle. "Well, well, well ... I wasn't expecting that."

Ba'al stretched his wings relaxingly and stared down at them.

"As much as I hate this, I'll have to take my leave. Bye for now, you two." Ba'al then raised both of his hands on mid air and then a red mist suddenly appeared and enveloped the three, it spun rapidly and then disappeared together with the three.

* * *

"Grrhhhh!" Big Boss growl in discomfort, his body twinge as Jack and Bunny carried underneath an Acacia tree. They rest him there and Jack immediately froze some of his wounds, cleaning it on the process.

"Ah!"

"John, it'll be ok." Jack tried to smile but the man's injury was horrible for him. "I'm going to clean and close some of your wounds -"

"No ... it can't be." The winter sprite paused; Big Boss uttered something making him stare at him.

"Jack, I sense North and the others, I'll greet them," Bunny said to him and hopped away, leaving him to the mercenary.

 _What is it...?_ "What is it, BB?" Jack asked as he continue treating his wounds.

"My sons ... my ... sons ..."

 _Oh, Big Boss ..._ Jack only remained silent as the man's distressed tone echoed throughout the large pond, he pitied Big Boss. _So those are your sons; oh Big Boss ..._ he thought humbly.

" _Hmph_ , he still couldn't get over it? It's been like what? Centuries?" the arrogant tone of David the fox made Jack locked his blue eyes at him. The fox jumped down form the tree above him and landed on the ground.

"So that's where you were, huh? You know we could use a little bit of help earlier." Jack heavily begun, irritated to the fox's mocking tone.

"And I don't care," David simply answered, making Jack even more furious to him.

But the winter sprite clamed himself down and asked, "Who are they, the sons of Big Boss, and how come Big Boss was so shock at seeing them?"

David then slowly turns his head to him, his eyes squinted and his lips partially moved upward as if he was making a scary grin. Jack shivered at the fox's face.

"I'll tell you since Watanuki told me to cooperate," David began and added, "sit down on a rock or a tree stump, white faggot, this tale is going to be tragic and epic at the same time."

* * *

Big Boss breathed heavily and felt a chill that ran down his spine. The place where he was in was so cold and unbearable. _Where am I ... ?_ he wondered dazedly and slowly opened his eyes.

He was in a wide room, the lights dim low. The first thing that he saw was a tall elevated wooden platform with a stand, like in a courtroom. He hovered his eyes to his left and then to his right.

Beside him, enclosing him, are rows of chairs arranged in a stepped form like in amphitheaters. _A courtroom? Why am I in a courtroom ...?_ and then suddenly an orb appeared on the far right side, hovering above a chair, he stared at it first, _what is that..._

Just as fast that the orb appeared, many white orbs pops out and all were hovering in the air and on their chairs, it was as if they were humans, the judges, and they were all pointing at Big Boss who only stared at them, lost and confuse.

"Murderer!" he darted his eyes at one orb to his right, after he heard an angry voice of a man from it.

"Wha—"

"Murderer! Dictator! Murderer! He must be killed!"

"He murdered us! Tricked us! Deceive us!"

Hundreds of voice suddenly flooded the whole courtroom and Big Boss's ears. The man's brow furrowed as their accusations began to rang and to tear his mind apart.

"Who are you all?! What've I done—!" he shouted to the chaotic rant from the orbs which were all screaming one thing: 'Murderer!'

 _Who're these people! Just who the hell are they!_ Big Boss covered his ears that were beginning to bleed, the voices of the accusing people, he could still hear them like they were inside his ears already. He winced in his chair, even thought he had trained himself to handle mental torture, the voices were shredding him apart.

"Goddamit—!" he growled, and shot his eyes up and was shocked at the sight. The two sons earlier who attacked him was now standing and looming above him on the elevated wooden plat form. Both were looking down at him with bloodshot accusing eyes, and their skins were rotting away.

"You murdered us!" the man with the huge built on the left pointed his almost skeleton finger at him, his voice echoed dreadfully in his mind. "You use us!" the man on the right scowled, bits of his blonde hair had fallen, showing him a part of skull underneath his rotting skin.

"You turned us into tools! You turned us into toys!" the two shouted in unison, causing a strife in his head more.

 _Shit ...!_ Big Boss cursed as he collapse form his chair and onto the floor, both hands were clasping his damaged ears, wincing to the torturous pain that seemed to grind his brain. _What am I supposed to do?! I did it all...! And I'm_ — _I'm...! H_ e realized now what was happening. He was being judged by the people that he'd killed. He couldn't fight them; he felt too weak.

"Please…stop…I…re…gret it…all!" he uttered the words, shamefully, yet the voices covered it up like it was nothing to them but lies.

Big Boss only closed his eyes and brought his head down to the floor, anguished from the torrential accusing words that rained down torturously on him.

"Be gone all of you!" a voice of a woman echoed throughout the room and then in a flash, the accusing and voice had stopped, shrouding the whole place in silence. Big Boss breathed heavily as he relaxed his hands, unclasping it from his ears.

"It stopped ..." he said, fazed still. But before he was about to opened his eyes, the windows on the wall of the courtroom was suddenly shattered. Tons of water started to pour; Big Boss was dragged and floated as the cold sea water began to flood the once closed courtroom.

"What the hell is happening _now_!" he protested to the sudden bust of water and then the ceiling above him caved in, as water started to pour down. Big Boss swam and watched as the walls, the chairs and even the high elevated wooden platform, all began to collapse and disintegrate as the whole place was replaced by an inky depth of an Ocean.

* * *

Disoriented, he befuddled and started to look for the surface. _There it is!_ He looked up and saw a bright white. The surface of the ocean, he immediately cluttered and swim towards it.

Big Boss burst to the surface and breathed hard. The sun above him was bright and the sky was blue, he felt gladdened and safe as if it was he'd seen two for a long time. He heaved his breath as his eyes suddenly felt heavy.

"At last ..." he then breathed his last as he fell unconscious and water pushed his body upward, resting him on the surface.

The courtroom earlier had worn his consciousness out, his senses grew dull as he wearily only stare at the blue sky and then he heard the water parting nearby from him but he didn't heed it, he closed his eyes and only feel the warmth of the sun before he fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

 _Is it over…? Their voices…?_ Daze and still lost, Big Boss slowly regain his senses. He felt the back of black coat pressing against something sharp yet soft, the air was windy yet hot at the same time. He opened his eyes and saw the clear blue sky.

"Where am I?" he asked to no one as his hands groped on a sands. Sands and hot air and then the roaring of the sea, he was in a beach.

He slowly stood and wearily looked around the beach. Tall coconut trees protrude and loomed over him, and then he shifted towards the ocean. He wasn't awake; he was still in a dream.

"It's been a long time since I saw your questioning face." He turned around immediately, hearing the voice of the woman, and prepared to defeat it. But then he froze.

A woman was sitting on an upturned boat, her brown coat moved to the wind together with her blonde hair. She stared her blue at him and chuckled.

"Oh I am still pretty enough to freeze you like that." She stood up and stepped her black boots on the sand. Big Boss couldn't speak, he recognized her strongly and he knew her name.

"E—Eva…?" he uttered in disbelief as his eyes widened as his memories of her flashed rapidly. Eva, other than the Boss, was the woman who loved and respected him but even if so, painful memories reminded him immediately that their life wasn't good. He gulped down and then took a step back, in stigma, away from her.

"What's the matter? It's me John ... well, the spirit me. I'm already dead, you see," Eva said, amused to his reaction.

Big Boss only replied with silent and cold abashing stare. Eva reached him finally and tag his right arm with her hands.

"Come on, it's been a long time since I've seen a real white sand beach."

Seconds had become minutes, minutes became hour, and hour seemed stretched for eternity to Big Boss. The two of them were walking along the beach. Eva was holding his right hand with her left; her face was still smiling as if they were first time couples on dating.

 _It feels wrong ..._ a storm began to brew inside Big Boss, _This is so wrong..._

"Eva," he stopped walking making also paused on her walk. "Why ... are you here?"

"The moon sent me to meet you. I accepted since I also wanted to see you," Eva simply answered without looking.

"Is it because you wanted to say to me how horrible I am." _Yes, that was right ... tell it to me Eva,_ Big Boss said in a cold tone, Eva then slowly looked at him. "You remember all the things I've done am I right Eva, the way I've treated 'them'."

Big Boss's tone wavered as she freed his right hand from her. He took a step back and grunted. "I've seen them, today. Solidius and Liquid Snake, they have real names which I'd ignored before. And then when I saw them I…suddenly felt sick."

Big Boss agitatedly recalls the attacks of the two and the continued with his tone wavering into a lunatic one. "And then I realize that I am not different to them. They reminded me of my life and it's sickening. I am sick of myself."

Eva only stood silent and listened, her eyes showed concern. "And then…I…felt fear. I feared them because I saw myself in them and it's horrible! I'm horrible!" Big Boss couldn't take the churning and twisting of remorseful disgust inside him. He looked down and frowned, disconcert.

 _It's because I'm fated to become a weapon, to become a monster._ He tightened his fist so much that it became white, _I'm not a legendary mercenary…I'm just a walking death_ "I'm sorry Eva, that your life ended harshly because of me. If I've know how to love you back, If only I've accepted, and knew how to love, my sons back in that world…then you might've at least a peaceful death."

 _John ..._ the woman casted a worried look at him, understanding his words, and looked up to the sky. _THACK_! a loud of boom of a thunder echoed around them and then in a flash, the blue was gone as dark grey clouds converge around the island, blocking the peaceful blue sky with its angry thunder and lightning.

"An island in dreams ... symbolizes escape from reality and isolation ... from problems." She glanced back to the grieving mercenary and smiled. She understood now everything and proceeded to the mission that the moon gave to her. She breathed calmly and spoke,

"Yes, it might've a good life if you'd know how to love. We might've live in peace if you decided to become a simple man," her face suddenly became stern and she moved closer to him, "but you chose that life, and you choose me, and I don't have any regrets with it."

Big Boss slowly looked at her. Her blue eyes flashed with sincerity. "I may have a bad life, but the greatest thing ever happened to me is that you've chosen to trust me. And with that I thank you for everything."

"Eva…" Big Boss mended to her words but the woman moved closer to his face and then they kiss. The man felt her, her love came to him and it bended his heart and then slowly he felt peace. He miss her so much and her kiss slowly destroy the weight pricking inside him.

"So drop it all, okay?" Eva parted her lips and said to him. She smiled as she saw the shine in Big Boss's eye returning. The woman then slowly slid her left thumb to the man's eyepatch.

"Wait ..."

"It's okay ... I want both of your eyes to looked at me so you would believe me more," Eva said, and then gently pulled his eyepatch away, revealing to her his red eye. It didn't scare her; she tenderly stared at it.

"Now John, you've indeed change but you need so much help right now. Your new friends might help you," she calmly said as the torrential rain accompanied by the strong wind brushed against them both, the storm brew angry at them.

"You were running away from them, from your sons. Don't do that. They might even be the first step to your new outlook on life. You could save them just like the peaceful world you're living in." she looked at him, pleased to his recovery. "John it's all over now. Everything is all right, you just have to save the world right now."

Big Boss took her words in and then he understood her all. The violent clouds suddenly give away letting the blue sky show once more. The wind had become gentle as it lightly brushed the hair of Big Boss lightly. He had understood now, he was no longer afraid and he smiled to the woman whom that he had loved before.

"I understand everything now. Yeah, everything," Big Boss calmly said as Eva looked to the sea.

"You'd learned from this quote from that world; 'yesterday's ally becomes tomorrow's opposition' I'll tell you something; drop it, it's wrong." She glanced at him and continued. "In your new world, yesterday's ally becomes tomorrow's opposition...but _could_ also be a lifetime companion or friend."

Big Boss only looked at her with enlightened eyes, she was correct. "You're right about that, the world I live is peaceful ..." he muttered as the woman breathed in and then she said.

"Looks like my time has come to pass over now, John." Big Boss darted his eyes to her, a shock and saddened expression showed in his face. "Don't worry, I'll be in heaven together with the rest and we're always watching you from there, John."

She said to him before she moved and hug to him. Big Boss felt her warm body making his mind felt at ease. "I can't come over ... I'm forever a guardian of that world. I was being punished," he whispered in her ear and then the woman whispered back,

"John ... I've felt a powerful negative force within you even now that you're cured from your fear…and I think it's the one that stuck you in this world." He looked at her strangely as the woman parted from him. Eva felt the dark presence within him even now.

"It's very familiar to me, the presence within you; it didn't come from any divine being. This dark accursed presence…came from a human." Big Boss listened and asked more.

"Then a human being is the one punishing me?" _It's plausible since I've a lot of enemy,_ he thought, agreeing with her but the woman only shook her head.

"No. A human can only punish someone through physical contact, this one John. It's much heavier, darker, and filled with despair." A worried looked showed in her face as she looked at his eyes. "It's a scornful curse, John. You're cursed by a scornful man."

Big Boss slack his jaw a bit, in aghast. _A human ... punish-no, turn me into a Guardian ... through a curse?_

"The man in the moon made you a Guardian," Eva said, countering what he was thinking. "The curse should've stuck you in that dark limbo-like world from before, but the Man in the Moon _rescued_ you."

"What—?!" Big Boss exclaimed in shock. "But—but he—!"

"No buts," Eva firmly replied, making Big Boss sigh in defeat. "He rescued you that was all," her firmness made Big Boss stopped his bickering. He only swallowed it hard and took it in.

 _I was cursed ... by a man? And I thought curses and hexoses only exist in fairytales._ He sighed defeated to the new information. However a new plan was formed in his mind.

"So then what would you do to the person who cursed you?" Eva asked him but Big Boss detected a hint of whim in her tone, she was testing him and his resolve.

 _It's very simple ..._ he thought as he cast his red eyes at her and then he smiled.

* * *

 **~ The Warren**

North, Sandy, and the Toothfairy had arrived from the 'Tooth Palace'; all were in downright mood and sadness. The creatures that they fought had destroyed every teeth, which all belonged to every children around the world.

Now the children would no longer remember any good memories. As for the Guardian of Hope, the Easter Bunny silently grieved as he put down the last flower on the ground. The flowers around his island had been cut down by Ba'al, if not by his underlings called the 'Sons of Big Boss'.

Now there wouldn't be any Easter Egg hunt anymore, and all of the Children had lost the ability to hope.

After the arrival of the three, he immediately told them what had happened. They were shock to what they'd heard.

"So Ba'al, the Arch devil of Pride," North stroked his chin, thinking hard.

"Sons of Big Boss ... I think I saw a glimpse of them in his memory, the one Watanuki showed to us." Tooth wondered as Sandman created a sand drawing above his head, asking if Big Boss was all right.

"He's fine ... but it's too shocking for him. He's resting by the tree," Bunny replied, without looking at Sandy as he put the last of the hundred thousand flowers on the ground.

* * *

"And that's what had happened," David finished his story with a ridiculing smirk. Jack Frost observed the man who was slumped over by the base of the tree.

 _It's too tragic, isn't Big Boss ...?_ he thought, condoling the man. "You've very painful life."

"Of course he has, he's mercenary. A soldier, he deserved that kind of life." David lightly kick the right thigh of Big Boss, while spatting those ridiculing words making Jack Frost turn to him.

"Don't you at least feel any pity to him?" he asked as David the fox, suddenly darted to him, eyes blazing in fury.

"Pity? He's a soldier for god sakes! Pain is natural for soldier, especially to mercenaries like Big Boss. I don't see why I should feel pity if his life is nothing but pain." Then David moved towards Big Boss, sneered at his face, and then said. "Not to mention, Big Boss is nothing but a rent-o-war whore, he's a weapon, an object, a tool that can be disposed of. The reason why he was called the man who sold the world ... was because he sold himself _first_ to the world."

David the fox chuckled, disgusted to Big Boss who was still unconscious. "So what do you call a man who sold himself to anyone or to anything hmm? That's right, a whore."

* * *

And then suddenly David yelp and jumped towards the tree above Big Boss. The mercenary groaned and opened his eyes. Jack reacted happily as he asked him.

"BB, are you okay?"

Big Boss stared at him first and said, "After sustaining broken ribs, fractured face and ruptured organs ... yeah, I'm fine, I have regenerating abilities in case you don't know."

 _Oh, right ..._ Jack sheepishly moved away, eyes panicking as his face reddened. To Big Boss he was obviously so worried about him, he only smiled at him and looked up and shouted.

"I heard everything ... little shit." David, recovering form shock, plopped downed towards his face and then to the ground and glared at him. The man had gotten him again, he only muttered defeated.

"Tch, whatever."

"Big Boss! Glad that you're okay!" North's booming voice suddenly greeted in as he slowly stood up from the ground. The Guardian of Wonders immediately hugged him so tight that he groaned from being squeezed.

"Yes, I'm all right," he said and thought placidly, remembering the words that Eva said to him. _They're my comrades now ... they could also be my friends._ The words of the woman reverberated inside him. "I guess I'll accept them."

"Hmm, what is it?" Jack beamed on him making him moved back.

"I said I'm hungry ... this new diet is killing me," Big Boss said as he stretched his arms, cracking his joints before looking at the remaining remains of the turtle, hungrily. "Eating those 'things' gives me energy."

"I know, one of Seraphim's nutrition are creatures from hell." Jack said to Big Boss who only nodded.

 _There's no harm trying, Eva. I guess you're laughing at me for the past ten years while I confine myself away from this world._ Big Boss made a warm smile and slowly said. " _Yesterday's ally becomes tomorrow's opposition, but could also be a lifetime companion or friend_."

Jack heard him and looked at him with questioning eyes. Big Boss observed him and merely answered, "Just a quote from ... someone I love."


End file.
